Online Medical Education in India - Different Challenges and Probable Solutions in the Age of COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, most educational institutions have opted for online education rather than traditional modes of education to protect their employees and students. Online education has been gaining momentum in almost all countries around the world. This coincides with the recently introduced competency-based medical education in India which has embraced online education. This poses a new challenge for the institutions involved, the instructors or teachers, and the students since they must adapt quickly to the new mode of learning. Online education requires teachers to improve their competency in three major areas; pedagogy, technology, and content knowledge. Some of the challenges include; lack of technological skill, poor time management and lack of infrastructure. As technology rapidly advances, health care education systems must also advance in tandem. To implement the new competency-based system and online education, the institutions and the individuals must realize the importance of online education, identify the barriers and quickly work on solutions for success. METHODS: This review was conducted based on various research papers on the topic of online medical education, the challenges faced by faculty members, and the opinion of students on this dilemma. Search terms included online medical education, COVID19, competency-based medical education. CONCLUSION: This review identified various challenges posed by online education on the current medical curriculum, faced by both faculty members and students, especially under the light of the Competency-Based Undergraduate Curriculum for Indian Graduates. Different solutions were proposed to overcome these challenges

Clinico-epidemiological features of the hospitalized patients with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in Saurashtra region, India (September, 2009 to February, 2010)

BACKGROUND: The first case of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in India was reported in May, 2009 and in Saurashtra region in August, 2009. We describe the clinico-epidemiological characteristics of patients who were hospitalized with 2009 influenza A (H1N1) infection in Saurashtra region. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From September, 2009 to February, 2010, we observed 274 persons infected with 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus who were admitted in different hospitals in Rajkot city. Real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) testing was used to confirm infection; the clinico-epidemiological features of the disease were closely monitored. RESULTS: Of 274 patients, median age was 29.5 years, and 51.5% were males. Only 1.1% patients had recent travel history to infected region. Median time of five days was observed from onset of illness to influenza A (H1N1) diagnosis, while median time of six days reported for hospital stay. All admitted patients received oseltamivir drug, but only 16.1% received it within two days of onset of illness. One fourth of admitted patients were expired. The most common symptoms were cough (96.7%), fever (92%), sore throat and shortness of breathing, and coexisting conditions including diabetes mellitus (9.9%), hypertension (8.8%), chronic pulmonary diseases (5.5%) and pregnancy (5.5%) (P<0.05). Pneumonia was reported in 93% patients with chest radiography. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated that infection-related illness affects both children and adults with survival of 74% patients. The median time from onset of illness to virus detection with use of real-time RT-PCR is five days. Pregnancy is found as a significant (P<0.05) risk factor for severe disease