Abstract:

Introduction:
The covid-19 pandemic had profound implications for the delivery of medical education within the UK [1]. Medical students suffered loss of face-to-face learning opportunities, and medical schools were under pressure to deliver their curriculum online [1]. We describe the development and use of the bespoke digital learning resource CAPSULE (Clinical and Professional Studies Unique Learning Environment) which was launched UK wide in May 2020 to facilitate the delivery of core learning content for UK medical students during the covid-19 pandemic.

Methods:
CAPSULE is a digital learning resource that is compatible for use on laptops, tablets and smartphones. It is comprised of case-based scenarios and multiple-choice questions and encompasses all undergraduate medical specialities. It is tagged to the requirements of the Medical Licencing Assessment [2] and the General Medical Council’s Outcomes for Graduates [3]. It is supported by a pan-speciality editorial board, responsible for regular editorial review. Following the covid-19 pandemic lockdown and loss of face-to-face learning opportunities, CAPSULE was identified by the Medical Schools Council as a digital learning resource that could potentially support UK clinical medical student education.

Results:
Following a global content review and edit, CAPSULE was rolled out UK wide in May 2020. Over 41,000 medical students and 3200 faculty registered as users. Approximately 1.5 million cases were completed in the first 12 months of use by up to 4500 distinct monthly users. Feedback from both students and faculty has been highly positive.

Conclusions:
CAPSULE continues to be used within UK medical schools and has allowed an entire cohort of medical students to access core curriculum content and progress their studies during the covid-19 pandemic. Future directions may include further integration into UK medical school curricula and potential expansion on an international scale.

References:
[1] Ahmed H, Allaf M, Elghazaly H. COVID-19 and medical education. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2020 Jul 1;20(7):777-8.
[2] GMC: MLA content map. 2019. [accessed 2021 May 29]. General Medical Council. https://www.gmc-uk.org/education/medical-licensing-assessment/mla-content-map
[3] GMC: Outcomes for graduates. 2020. [accessed 2021 Jun 16]. General Medical Council. https://www.gmc-uk.org/education/standards-guidance-and-curricula/standards-and-outcomes/outcomes-for-graduates

Keywords:

CAPSULE, covid-19, digital learning platform, UK medical school.