Clin Res Cardiol (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-023-02302-4

Virtual CMR training: A Survey on Effectiveness and Feasibility with international participants of the CMR Academy Berlin, Germany

D. Hashemi1, P. Doeblin1, K. J. S. W. Weiß1, M. Schneider-Reigbert1, R. E. Beyer1, C. Else1, A. Faragli1, C. Stehning2, P. Stawowy1, S. Petersen3, C. Bucciarelli-Ducci4, A. G. Hays5, N. Frey6, H. Thiele7, A. Portmann8, E. Fleck9, S. Kelle1

1Klinik für Kardiologie, Angiologie und Intensivmedizin | CVK, Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charite (DHZC), Berlin; 2Clinical Science, Philips Healthcare, Hamburg; 3Queen Mary University of London, London, UK; 4Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals, Guys' and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, London, Großbritannien; 5Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology,, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA; 6Klinik für Innere Med. III, Kardiologie, Angiologie u. Pneumologie, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Heidelberg; 7Klinik für Innere Medizin/Kardiologie, Herzzentrum Leipzig - Universität Leipzig, Leipzig; 8Stiftung Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin, Berlin; 9Berlin;

Aims: The primary goal of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of CMR Academy Berlin's shift from traditional to online training in cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) during the 2020 worldwide pandemic, and to extrapolate suggestions for upcoming courses. Methods and results: We initiated an online questionnaire aimed at CMR course attendees from both pre-pandemic, physical setting, and pandemic, online format of the CMR Academy Berlin. The questionnaire mainly utilized Likert-scale queries to evaluate attendees' experiences and inclinations. From a total of 158 invitees, 61 participants (38.61%) responded to the survey, 31 (50.82%) of them were traditional training alumni and 30 (49.18%) were online training alumni. Both physical training (83.87% [26/31]) and online training (83.33% [25/30]) attendees classified the course as either 'very good' or 'excellent', and both cohorts considered the course as 'extremely helpful' or 'very helpful'. Nevertheless, a larger percentage of physical training attendees (96.77% [30/31]) felt at ease asking questions compared to their online counterparts (83.33% [25/30]; p=0.025). A majority in both cohorts favored a written exam (overall: 75.41% [46/61]; physical training alumni: 77.42% [24/31]; online training alumni: 73.33% [22/30]). Regarding preferences for course format, both physical training alumni (38.71% [12/31]) and online alumni (60% [18/30]) expressed a preference for traditional format, almost as much as a hybrid model integrating physical and online components (physical training alumni: 41.94% [13/31], online alumni: 30% [9/30]). Conclusion: The conversion from traditional to online CMR training at CMR Academy Berlin successfully maintained overall participant satisfaction. Nevertheless, there is potential for enhancement in terms of augmenting interaction, particularly for attendees of the online format. Future courses might contemplate implementing a hybrid model to meet attendees' preferences and augment their learning experience.

https://dgk.org/kongress_programme/ht2023/aV88.html