Martin Klasen1, Saša Sopka1,2. 1. Interdisciplinary Training Centre for Medical Education and Patient Safety-AIXTRA, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany. 2. Department of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital Aachen, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
Abstract
CONTEXT: In medical education, there are often several didactic methods for teaching and learning a specific medical skill. For educators, there are often pragmatic reasons to decide for one or another of them, such as costs, infrastructural requirements, time expenditure or qualification of the teacher. However, a central aspect to consider is the learning outcome: Does a new method achieve a similar learning success as an established standard method? To answer this question, we need an appropriate method to assess comparability of learning outcomes. METHODS: In this paper, we present two essential statistical concepts that can address the issue of comparability of learning outcomes: Equivalence and non-inferiority testing. We explain the ideas behind these concepts and illustrate them with an example data set. To clarify several concepts, we use theoretical examples from one selected field: the teaching and assessment of Basic Life Support (BLS). CONCLUSIONS: Equivalence and non-inferiority tests can be powerful tools for comparing teaching and assessment methods. However, their correct application requires adequate knowledge about their strengths, pitfalls and application fields. The aim of this paper is to deliver this knowledge and to provide clinician researchers with a practical guidance to a successful application of these methods.
CONTEXT: In medical education, there are often several didactic methods for teaching and learning a specific medical skill. For educators, there are often pragmatic reasons to decide for one or another of them, such as costs, infrastructural requirements, time expenditure or qualification of the teacher. However, a central aspect to consider is the learning outcome: Does a new method achieve a similar learning success as an established standard method? To answer this question, we need an appropriate method to assess comparability of learning outcomes. METHODS: In this paper, we present two essential statistical concepts that can address the issue of comparability of learning outcomes: Equivalence and non-inferiority testing. We explain the ideas behind these concepts and illustrate them with an example data set. To clarify several concepts, we use theoretical examples from one selected field: the teaching and assessment of Basic Life Support (BLS). CONCLUSIONS: Equivalence and non-inferiority tests can be powerful tools for comparing teaching and assessment methods. However, their correct application requires adequate knowledge about their strengths, pitfalls and application fields. The aim of this paper is to deliver this knowledge and to provide clinician researchers with a practical guidance to a successful application of these methods.
Authors: Michael Tobias Schauwinhold; Michelle Schmidt; Jenny W Rudolph; Martin Klasen; Sophie Isabelle Lambert; Alexander Krusch; Lina Vogt; Saša Sopka Journal: Front Med (Lausanne) Date: 2022-05-12
Authors: Joseph Offenbacher; Alexander Petti; Han Xu; Michael Levine; Mallika Manyapu; Debayan Guha; Maxim Quint; Andrew Chertoff; Andrew Restivo; Benjamin W Friedman; Joshua Silverberg Journal: West J Emerg Med Date: 2022-01-03