In the fast-paced world of medical education, every moment counts. Our revolutionary partnership with the University of Witwatersrand Johannesburg (Wits) addresses a critical need for timely, efficient assessment through our innovative Workbase Assessment (WBA) system.
Traditional paper-based logbooks have long been the norm, but their inefficiencies are apparent. The current process, from design and approval to distribution, daily usage, and subsequent collection, leaves little room for real-time analytics and data processing. By the time these logbooks are captured, the rotation has concluded, missing valuable opportunities for daily assessments.
WBA focuses on identifying touchpoints every day, providing a continuous assessment of students' learning rather than waiting for exam periods. Wits, like many medical institutions, operates in an intensely busy environment. Students are immersed in patient care from day one, while clinicians, already swamped, strive to balance academic responsibilities with patient care.
Our early assessments revealed a major issue—educators and clinicians often bulk-submit logbooks without thoroughly reviewing attendance and learning outcomes. This creates a validity gap in skills observation. While attempts have been made to assess these data points, clinicians yearn for improvements and automation in their workflows.
Enter our solution: Voice notes. A brief, five-second recording captures the essence of a clinical encounter. Leveraging advanced AI models and existing data, we categorize, contextualize, and integrate these voice notes into the required rotation logbooks for each program year, department, and rotation. Clinical educators review submissions, contributing to comprehensive data dashboards that allow rotation coordinators to spot gaps and ensure adherence to approved logbooks across academic programs.
This transformative change is no small feat, and continuous refinement is underway. Our goal is to streamline the assessment process, giving educators and clinicians more time for meaningful engagement, questions, and observations. By empowering students to learn in a dynamic environment, we pave the way for future leaders and exceptional doctors.
In partnership with Wits, we're shaping the future of medical education—one voice note at a time.