An Online Module to Understand Body Fluid Status in Clinical Cases

Abstract

Introduction: A thorough understanding of body fluid alterations is essential for the success of both practicing dentists and physicians. However, the time constraints of professional school curricula often limit the time available in physiology courses to address this material.

Methods: The primary goal of this resource was to improve student comprehension of body fluid status by using three online videos that explain volume-osmolality diagrams. An additional goal was to improve students' ability to apply their physiological knowledge by showcasing real-life clinical situations in medicine and dentistry. The videos were created using custom-designed PowerPoint animations, video recordings, and Camtasia video-editing software.

Results: On assessment of exam performance, students performed similarly in sections of the course that were taught using the online modules versus face-to-face lectures. Student performance was extremely high on the body fluid assessment-questions, with an average of 95%. This high level of student performance was notable, particularly given the complexity of the questions.

Discussion: These results indicate that this online volume-osmolality module enabled students to improve their comprehension of body fluid concepts in physiology. Furthermore, the data indicates the feasibility of replacing lectures with online modules, freeing valuable class time for active learning or more advanced physiological concepts.

Keywords: Body Fluids; Dental Education; Intravenous Solutions; Online Learning; Osmolality; Physiology; Volume.

Figure 1.. Volume-Osmolarity Diagrams.

Figure 2.. Dental student comprehension of volume-osmolality concepts on exam questions. Data presented as average number of correct responses on three assessment questions +/- SD (error bars). No significant differences were found between the groups (n = 120 students, one-way ANOVA).