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Penfold RS, Ali MA, Ali AM, et al. Evaluation of the first year of the Oxpal Medlink: A web-based partnership designed to address specific challenges facing medical education in the occupied Palestinian territories. JRSM Open. 2014;5(2):2042533313517692doi: 10.1177/2042533313517692.
Penfold, R. S., Ali, M. A., Ali, A. M., Patel, I., MacGregor, T., Shankar, S., Cahill, T. J., Finlayson, A. E., & Mahmud, I. (2014). Evaluation of the first year of the Oxpal Medlink: A web-based partnership designed to address specific challenges facing medical education in the occupied Palestinian territories. JRSM open, 5(2), 2042533313517692. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042533313517692
Penfold, Rose S, et al. "Evaluation of the first year of the Oxpal Medlink: A web-based partnership designed to address specific challenges facing medical education in the occupied Palestinian territories." JRSM open vol. 5,2 (2014): 2042533313517692. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/2042533313517692
Penfold RS, Ali MA, Ali AM, Patel I, MacGregor T, Shankar S, Cahill TJ, Finlayson AE, Mahmud I. Evaluation of the first year of the Oxpal Medlink: A web-based partnership designed to address specific challenges facing medical education in the occupied Palestinian territories. JRSM Open. 2014 Feb 03;5(2):2042533313517692. doi: 10.1177/2042533313517692. eCollection 2014 Feb. PMID: 25057373; PMCID: PMC4012652.
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JRSM Open. 2014 Feb 03;5(2):2042533313517692. doi: 10.1177/2042533313517692. eCollection 2014 Feb.

Evaluation of the first year of the Oxpal Medlink: A web-based partnership designed to address specific challenges facing medical education in the occupied Palestinian territories.

JRSM open

Rose S Penfold, Mohammad A Ali, Adam M Ali, Ishita Patel, Thomas MacGregor, Sushma Shankar, Thomas J Cahill, Alexander Et Finlayson, Imran Mahmud

Affiliations

  1. Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6HG, UK.
  2. Oxford University Clinical Academic Graduate School, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.
  3. Senior Medical Registrar, Oxford Deanery, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.
  4. Department of Upper GI Surgery, Oxford University Hospitals, Oxford OX3 7LE, UK.
  5. Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.
  6. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6HG, UK.
  7. Director of MedicineAfrica, Oxford OX4 1JE, UK.
  8. Fulbright Scholar, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

PMID: 25057373 PMCID: PMC4012652 DOI: 10.1177/2042533313517692

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To (1) evaluate educational needs of clinical students at Al-Quds University Medical School in the West Bank; (2) address these needs where possible using synchronous distance learning, with clinicians in Oxford providing case-based tutorials to undergraduates in the West Bank via an online platform (WizIQ) and (3) assess the impact of this education.

DESIGN: Review of online OxPal Medlink database for tutorials held between March 2012 and April 2013. Needs assessment and evaluation of student and tutor experiences through online questionnaires, focus groups and semi-structured interviews.

SETTING: Oxford University Hospitals, Oxford, UK, and Al-Quds University Medical School, Abu Dies, Palestine.

PARTICIPANTS: Doctors at Oxford University Hospitals and fourth-, fifth- and sixth-year medical students and faculty members at Al-Quds Medical School.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of tutorials, student participation, student-rated satisfaction and qualitative feedback from tutors and students.

RESULTS: Students demonstrated strong theoretical knowledge but struggled to apply this in presentation-based scenarios. Between March 2012 and April 2013, 90 tutorials were delivered to 60 students. Feedback: >95% respondents rated tutorials as 'Excellent' or 'Good' and 'Very' or 'Fairly' relevant to their future practice in Palestine. Students reported the programme had modified their approach to patients but requested better synchronization with concurrent attachments and clarification of learning outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS: OxPal Medlink is a novel, web-based distance-learning partnership designed to overcome some of the challenges to local medical education in the occupied Palestinian territories. Evaluation of the first year indicates teaching is relevant to local practice and of high quality. This approach may have the potential to strengthen local capacity for medical education.

Keywords: Internet; distance learning; education; teaching

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