HYBRID COMMUNICATION TRAINING TECHNIQUE TO SOLVE WARTIME ACADEMIC AND SAFETY ISSUES: PERCEPTION OF MEDICAL STUDENTS

Contemporary global epidemiological and wartime issues emphasize the development and application of academic techniques enabling the maintenance of qualitative education and training of future professionals. Healthcare is the direction requiring the most attention as the number of individuals seeking physical and mental care is continuously growing, while effective healthcare outcomes depend significantly on the well-developed communication skills of physicians. The research aims to study the perception of a hybrid communicative training technique (HCTT) suitable for in-class, online (synchronous and asynchronous), and hybrid types of learning and confirm that the development of a hybrid communicative training technique (HCTT), taking into account wartime safety and technical problems, can solve current educational tasks. The HCTT incorporates communication basics and the English language, promoting actualization, digitalization, and internationalization of higher medical education. Its effectiveness was evaluated by the survey, directed at defining medical students’ perception of the technique. The research involved 407 participants. The data were analyzed using a series of theoretical and empirical methods. The results were verified statistically. The difference between the groups of categorized indices was studied using the table of frequencies and defined by Pearson’s Chi-Squared Test. It was considered statistically significant if p<0.05. The survey has shown that the responders highly evaluated the quality of the implemented HTCC. The analysis of HCTT components revealed significant differences concerning students’ positive and negative perceptions of the technique. The survey results prove that medical students appreciate the HCTT and evaluate its quality as sufficient. According to the research results, digital storytelling is a promising communication training technique that should be further researched and implemented with the aim of improving communication skills and English mastery. The research confirms that HCTT can be used to develop the communication skills of future physicians by upgrading their reading, listening, and speaking competence. In addition, HCTT can be used as a training tool for Step 1, licensing examination, and Medical English exams, as it is based on professional pre-clinical and clinical topics and includes tasks directed at developing professional thinking, medical vocabulary, and terminology.