Education Research: Use by Neurologists of Microteaching and Microassessment Programs for Teaching, Learning, and Patient Care Needs: A Qualitative Study.

Background and objectives: Microlearning is the acquisition of knowledge or skills in small units, commonly delivered by digital technology. NeuroBytes (NB) and Question of the Day (QOD) are 2 microinstructional programs in neurology. NB programs are brief, video-based mini-courses on clinical topics (microteaching); QODs are daily multiple-choice questions (microassessment). The aim of this study was to understand how neurologists use NB and QOD and to explore their influence on clinical practice, education, and lifelong learning.

Methods: Purposive sampling was used to recruit neurologists or trainees who completed at least 1 NB program or 25 QODs within the past 3 months. Individual semistructured interviews were conducted to explore participants' use of NB/QOD, what they perceived as gained from the product, how learning influenced their practice, and how this influenced lifelong learning. Thematic analysis was conducted to generate codes and describe themes emerging from the data.

Results: A total of 28 participants were interviewed. Neurologists were enthusiastic to use NB and QOD. Three themes were identified. NB and QOD were used to (1) enhance teaching, (2) influence clinical care, and (3) facilitate lifelong learning. Enhancing teaching: Interviewees used knowledge gained from NB/QOD in their own instruction and used NB/QOD with students. QOD was a model for writing their own assessments. Patient care: Respondents kept their knowledge current and reinforced concepts already known. QOD had less impact on patient care because it was used for identifying knowledge gaps, often outside the subspecialty niche. Lifelong learning: QOD was used to identify gaps in knowledge while NB filled educational gaps already recognized. NB and QOD were viewed as timesaving and could be completed on the fly. However, they were considered supplemental to other learning sources because they lacked depth.

Discussion: NB and QOD are convenient supplemental resources for teaching, learning, and augmenting clinical practice. Microteaching and microassessment delivered through these programs fulfilled different learning needs and have complementary educational roles.