How effective is virtual medical teaching during the COVID-19 crisis? A review of the advantages and disadvantages

BACKGROUND: In December 2019, COVID-19 emerged and rapidly transitioned around the world SARS-CoV-2 infection is characterised by a pneumonia of unknown aetiology Transmission of the virus is high, and as a result, countries around the world have imposed rigorous public health measures, such as quarantine This has involved the suspension of medical schools globally Medical school attachments are vital to aid students with the progression of their confidence and competencies as a future doctor Following the outbreak of COVID-19, medical schools have sought ways to replace medical placements with virtual clinical teaching OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to review the advantages and disadvantages of virtual medical teaching for medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic using all emerging current literature METHODS: A brief qualitative review based on the application and effectiveness of virtual teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic was carried out by referencing keywords, including: medical student virtual teaching COVID-19, virtual undergraduate medical education and virtual medical education COVID-19 from the electronic databases of PubMed and Google Scholar A total of 201 articles were found, of which 34 formed part of the study Manual searches from the included articles' reference lists yielded a further 5 articles The findings were tabulated and assessed under the following headings: summary of virtual teaching offered, strengths of virtual teaching and weaknesses of virtual teaching RESULTS: Qualitative analysis of the reviewed data was conducted Strengths of virtual teaching included the variety of online resources available New interactive forms of virtual teaching are being developed to allow patient interaction from the student's home Open-access teaching with medical experts has allowed students to remain abreast of the latest medical advancements and to reclaim knowledge lost by the suspension of universities and clinical attachments Peer mentoring has proven to be a valuable tool for medical students with aims of increasing knowledge as well as providing psychological support Weaknesses of virtual teaching included technical challenges, confidentiality issues, reduced student engagement and the loss of assessments Mental well-being of students was found to be negatively affected during the pandemic Inequalities of virtual teaching services across the globe were also noted causing differences in medical education CONCLUSIONS: In these unprecedented times, medical schools have a duty to provide ongoing education to medical students The continuation of teaching is crucial to allow the future graduations of doctors into society The evidence suggests that virtual teaching is effective and institutions are working to develop these resources further to improve student engagement and interactivity Moving forwards, medical student faculties need to adapt a more holistic approach to student education and consider the mental impact of COVID-19 on students as well as improve the security and technology of virtual platforms Clinicaltrial: