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An online, interactive, screen-based simulator for learning basic EEG interpretation

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Abstract

Objective

Develop and pilot test a simulator that presents ten commonly encountered representative clinical contexts for trainees to learn basic electroencephalogram (EEG) interpretation skills.

Methods

We created an interactive web-based training simulator that allows self-paced, asynchronous learning and assessment of basic EEG interpretation skills. The simulator uses the information retrieval process via a free-response text box to enhance learning. Ten scenarios were created that present dynamic (scrolling) EEG tracings resembling the clinical setting, followed by questions with free-text answers. The answer was checked against an accepted word/phrase list. The simulator has been used by 76 trainees in total. We report pilot study results from the University of Florida’s neurology residents (N = 24). Total percent correct for each scenario and average percent correct for all scenarios were calculated and correlated with most recent In-training Examination (ITE) and United States Medical License Examination (USMLE) scores.

Results

Neurology residents’ mean percent correct scenario scores ranged from 27.1–86.0% with an average scenario score of 61.2% ± 7.7. We showed a moderately strong correlation r = 0.49 between the ITE and the average scenario score.

Conclusion

We developed an online interactive EEG interpretation simulator to review basic EEG content and assess interpretation skills using an active retrieval approach. The pilot study showed a moderately strong correlation r = 0.49 between the ITE and the average scenario score. Since the ITE is a measure of clinical practice, this is evidence that the simulator can provide self-directed instruction and shows promise as a tool for assessment of EEG knowledge.

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Availability of data and material

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge Sungho Oh (University of Pennsylvania) for his contribution when planning for this development. Thanks to Vera Barnes for her help formatting and word processing this manuscript and Corey Astrom, ELS for her editorial support.

Code availability

Not applicable.

Funding

This study was funded by the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (grant number 96741).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida, PO Box 100254, Gainesville, FL, 32610-0254, USA

    Brenda G. Fahy, W. Travis Johnson, David Lizdas, Nikolaus Gravenstein & Samsun Lampotang

  2. Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Jean E. Cibula

  3. Office for Educational Affairs, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Lou Ann Cooper

Authors
  1. Brenda G. Fahy
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  2. Jean E. Cibula
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  3. W. Travis Johnson
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  4. Lou Ann Cooper
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  5. David Lizdas
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  6. Nikolaus Gravenstein
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  7. Samsun Lampotang
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Contributions

Brenda G. Fahy: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, visualization, supervision, project administration, writing - original draft preparation, writing - review and editing.

Jean E. Cibula: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, writing – review and editing.

W. Travis Johnson: software, software support, validation, investigation, resources, data curation, writing - review and editing.

Lou Ann Cooper: formal analysis, data curation, visualization, writing - review and editing.

David Lizdas: software, resources, and data curation.

Nikolaus Gravenstein: investigation, writing - review and editing.

Samsun Lampotang: software, resources, writing - original draft preparation, writing - review and editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brenda G. Fahy.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Brenda G. Fahy: Received salary support from the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research for Make it Stick: An Educational Model to Improve Long-Term Retention grant.

Jean E. Cibula: Received support as the site principal investigator for UCB BRAIN study.

W. Travis Johnson: Received salary support from the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research for Make it Stick: An Educational Model to Improve Long-Term Retention grant.

Lou Ann Cooper: The author declares that she has no conflict of interest.

David Lizdas: The author declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Nikolaus Gravenstein: The author declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Samsun Lampotang: The author declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Ethics approval

This study was approved by the University of Florida Institutional Review Board in accordance with the ethical standards of the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Consent to participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Consent for publication

Each individual participant consented to the submission and publication of their study data as detailed in the informed consent form.

Statistical analysis

Statistical analysis was conducted by Lou Ann Cooper, University of Florida College of Medicine, Office for Educational Affairs, Gainesville, FL, USA.

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Fahy, B.G., Cibula, J.E., Johnson, W.T. et al. An online, interactive, screen-based simulator for learning basic EEG interpretation. Neurol Sci 42, 1017–1022 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-020-04610-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-020-04610-3

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