This study aims to evaluate a novel integrated teaching model for learning the Movement Disorder Society–Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale Part III (MDS-UPDRS-III). The model combines self-directed video learning with case-based, in-person teaching. A total of 23 non-expertise neurology residents from Peking Union Medical College Hospital participated the study. The training program comprised four stages: video-based self-learning, a pre-training assessment (Case 1), expert-led offline instruction with case analysis, and a post-training assessment (Case 2). The rating accuracy and scoring errors for individual items were compared before and after the training. A subgroup analyses was conducted to assess the learning outcomes among physicians at different levels. The total scoring error decreased significantly after training (median score reduced from 13 to 12, P = 0.002). Significant improvements were observed in the accuracy of non-tremor items, such as speech, postural stability, and freezing of gait (p < 0.05), while the accuracy of certain tremor items declined due to increased case difficulty. Subgroup analysis indicated that participants with little or no prior MDS-UPDRS assessment experience, and junior physicians with 1–5 years of work experience demonstrated the most significant reduction in scoring errors (p < 0.05). In contrast, senior or highly experienced physicians showed no substantial improvement. The novel integrated teaching model that comprising self-directed video learning and case-based in-person sessions, enhances non-expertise neurology residents’ competency in MDS-UPDRS-III scoring. This approach is particularly beneficial for less experienced clinicians, allowing them to quickly master the scale, and has significant potential for widespread application in neurology training.
Zhang et al. (Sat,) studied this question.