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Background: In the context of contact restrictions, conventional teaching is currently in need of optimization and expansion. The range of digital teaching formats in student training is very heterogeneous and their effectiveness uncertain. This study aims to investigate the extent to which an electronic ward round can be used as an alternative to the conventional ENT attendance practical course, and whether the use of electronic teaching formats has an influence on the quality of teaching., Materials and Methods: Instead of regular attendance practicals, bedside teaching took place once a week in real time as a video stream via tablet. A total of 43 students in the seventh semester (winter semester 2020/2021) were included in the prospective study. Evaluation forms were used to examine the subjective didactic value of different visualization formats for the students. Examination results from previous years were used for comparison., Results: The majority of students reported knowledge gain from the electronic rounds (93.02%) and that they were a good alternative to the traditional attendance clerkship (69.77%). The quality of the video and audio transmission as well as the comprehensibility of the case studies presented were consistently rated as good to very good. The students' examination results tended to be slightly worse in the test group compared to the control students of previous years., Conclusion: Integration of innovative interactive visualization options into teaching shows promising prospects as a supplement to conventional face-to-face teaching. The results of this study can contribute to the further expansion of digital teaching. Scaling up this model could be considered especially in countries with limited availability of face-to-face teaching., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Technological change in healthcare and the digital transformation of teaching require innovations in student teaching in medicine. New technologies are needed to enable the delivery and use of diverse teaching and learning formats by educational institutions independent of time and place. The aim of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of different multidimensional formats in student teaching in surgical ENT medical anatomy., Materials and Methods: During the summer semester 2022 and winter semester 2022/2023, the digital teaching and learning program was expanded by testing different visualization formats (3D glasses, cardboards, or VR glasses) with students in the context of a highly standardized surgical procedure, namely cochlear implantation. A pre- and post-intervention knowledge assessment was carried out in all groups, followed by an evaluation., Results: Of 183 students, 91 students fully participated in the study. The post-intervention knowledge assessment showed a significant increase in correct answers regardless of visualization format. In a direct comparison, the operating room (OR) group answered correctly significantly more often than the cardboard group (p = 0.0424). The majority of students would like to see 3D teaching as an integral part of the teaching program (87.9%) and more streaming of live surgeries (93.4%). They see the use of the various technologies as a very good addition to conventional surgical teaching (72.5%), as good visualization (89%) increases retention (74.7%) and motivation (81.3%)., Conclusion: Application and use of new visualization technologies in everyday clinical practice is a promising approach to expanding student training. Mobile, interactive, and personalized technical formats can be adapted to the learning behavior of students. Last but not least, the use of new media influences learning motivation. An expansion of digital teaching and learning formats can be expressly recommended on the basis of this study., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The development of technological innovations has not only changed social life and the healthcare system, but also affects medical education. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate whether students, when observing a microsurgical procedure of the temporal bone, gain an additional understanding of the anatomical structures and surgical site when visualization is used that provides identical views for the surgeon and viewer in 3D., Materials and Methods: During regular attendance tutorials, students were randomly assigned to three different groups: control group, 2D group, or 3D group. Evaluation questionnaires and intraoperative student annotation of the surgical view were used to assess the subjective didactic value of different visualization formats and resultant learning experiences for the students., Results: A total of 47 students were included in the investigations during conventional attendance tutorials. The majority indicated a high added value of the 3D visualization in terms of method (70%) and vividness (80%) compared to the 2D group and self-study; 69% of the students fully agreed with the statement that 2D and 3D visualization increases learning motivation and is a very good way to improve recognition of anatomical topography and structures., Conclusion: New interactive visualization options in teaching promote learning efficiency and motivation among students. Especially 3D visualization and intraoperative annotation of the surgical view by the student is a useful didactic tool and increases the quality of clinical teaching. It supports the perception of anatomical topography and enables more focused surgical training., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objective: In patients with cleft palate, a high incidence of chronic obstructive Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) is assumed after surgery. Consequently, an increased rate of retracted eardrum or cholesteatoma is expected. Even though no common standard for investigating ETD is available, the development of objective tests has increased during the past 10 years. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of persisting chronic obstructive ETD in adult patients with cleft palate surgically treated in early childhood by using a combination of diagnostic tools., Methods: Adult participants with cleft palate repair in early childhood were invited for a follow-up examination and compared to a control group. Examination included tympanometry, tubomanometry, the Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire (ETDQ-7), and the Eustachian Tube Score 7 (ETS-7)., Results: A total of 16 adult patients were re-examined after cleft palate surgery and compared to a control group of 40 healthy individuals. Significant differences were found in the median ETS‑7 (p < 0.0001) score but not in the median ETDQ‑7 (p = 0.09) score. Only 2 of the 32 investigated ears (6%) had pathologic scores in ETS‑7 and ETDQ‑7 (p = 0.09), whereas 5 (31%) cleft palate patients showed symptoms of chronic obstructive ETD according to ETS‑7. No patient had examination findings indicating a requirement for further treatment., Conclusion: By combining diagnostic tools for ETD, a lower rate of persisting obstructive ETD in adults after cleft palate surgery was found than previously reported. Successful surgical treatment of cleft palate seems to lead to physiological Eustachian tube function in long-term follow up., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: With increasing access to online teaching materials, traditional teaching methods at universities need to be questioned in the context of digital transformation. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether electronic learning may serve as or replace conventional internship in otorhinolaryngology., Materials and Methods: A completely digital electronic learning concept was created and made available at the online learning platform ILIAS. Students were introduced to the program. Four learning units (neck [I], pharynx/larynx [II], nose [III], ear [IV]) were set up, with a topic-related multiple-choice test at the end of each unit. The students took part in the evaluation before and after completion of the course., Results: A total of 105 students participated in the evaluation before and 85 students after the electronic learning program. After completing the courses, the majority of students (52.94%) stated to be more satisfied with the content and the presentation of the learning sequences as well as with their own self-control concerning learning pace and time management compared to the situation before completing the program (34.29%; p < 0.0001). The majority of students (54.12%) stated that they would appreciate the electronic learning program in addition to practical internship., Conclusion: The electronic learning program is a promising approach to supplement traditional learning and internships. An expansion of digital teaching proposals should be supported based on this study., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Improvements of surgical visualization add value to the quality of clinical routine and offer the opportunity to improve surgical education of medical staff. The aim of this study was to determine whether otorhinolaryngology trainees gain additional comprehension of the anatomical structures and the surgical site when 3D visualization is used., Methods: Data were collected from ENT trainees of microsurgical courses of the middle ear, inner ear and lateral skull base at four university ENT departments (Charité (Berlin), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Halle/Saale), Ludwig Maximilian University (Munich) and Rostock University Medical Center). Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing the subjective value of identical surgical field visualization in 3D for surgeon and observer., Results: A total of 112 participants completed the questionnaire. The majority of participants stated a high additional value of 3D visualization compared to 2D visualization, with 75% fully agreeing to the statement that 3D visualization of the surgical field is superior to perceive the anatomical topography and structures compared to 2D representation. Participants encouraged the storage of data in online learning platforms., Conclusion: The results show that 3D visualization with identical imaging for surgeon and observer is a useful tool in teaching of microsurgery. It addresses perception of anatomical topography and structures as well as conception of the surgical workflow.

Background: Patulous Eustachian tube (ET) dysfunction can impair quality of life (QOL) due to autophony, pressure sensation, and an altered impression of sound. In cases of nonspecific complaints the diagnosis of patulous ET can be difficult, and its distinction from chronic obstructive ET dysfunction is particularly challenging. Since there is currently a lack of standardized diagnostic and therapeutic options, a structured diagnostic workup is essential for accurate diagnosis of this condition. The Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Patient Questionnaire (ETDQ-7) was established by McCoul et al. in 2012 for investigating chronic obstructive ET dysfunction. The Patulous Eustachian Tube Handicap Inventory-10 (PHI-10) was published by Kobayashi et al. in 2017 as an instrument to evaluate patulous ET., Patients and Methods: The PHI-10 questionnaire was translated into German and validated in a total of 83 patients (41 healthy subjects, 13 patients with tinnitus, 11 patients with patulous ET, and 18 patients with chronic obstructive ET dysfunction). In addition, the PHI-10 (German) was compared to ETDQ‑7., Results: The results of the English version of the PHI-10 questionnaire could be confirmed using the German version. The German version of the PHI-10 and the results of the PHI-10 and ETDQ‑7 for each group of patients are presented. The ETDQ‑7 leads to false-positive results in patients with patulous ET and the PHI-10 generates false-positive results in patients with chronic obstructive ET dysfunction. Both questionnaires result in false-positive results in patients with tinnitus., Conclusion: The PHI-10 and ETDQ‑7 (German) can be recommended as an additional tool for preoperative assessment of ET dysfunction. However, they insufficiently discriminate between patulous and obstructive ET dysfunction and are not suitable for patients with tinnitus. The strength of the two questionnaires lies in their suitability for use in monitoring therapeutic success during follow-up.