TY  - JOUR
AU  - Ko, Po-Jen
AU  - Yu, Sheng-Yueh
AU  - Chang, John Chien-Hwa
AU  - Hsieh, Ming-Ju
AU  - Chu, Sung-Yu
AU  - Tan, Jimmy Wei-Hwa
AU  - Cheng, Wan-Ling
AU  - Ho, Pei
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/6/9
TI  - Using a Web-Based Platform as an Alternative for Conducting International, Multidisciplinary Medical Conferences During the Novel COVID-19 Pandemic: Analysis of a Conference
JO  - JMIR Med Educ
SP  - e23980
VL  - 7
IS  - 2
KW  - web-based conference
KW  - live broadcast
KW  - medical education
KW  - dialysis access
KW  - coronavirus
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - conference
KW  - social media
KW  - web-based platform
KW  - internet
KW  - interaction
KW  - teleconference
AB  - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has stunted medical education activities, resulting in most conferences being cancelled or postponed. To continue professional education during this crisis, web-based conferences can be conducted via livestream and an audience interaction platform as an alternative. Objective: The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has affected human connections worldwide. Conventional conferences have been replaced by web-based conferences. However, web-based conferencing has its challenges and limitations. This paper reports the logistics and preparations required for converting an international, on-site, multidisciplinary conference into a completely web-based conference within 3 weeks during the pandemic. Methods: The program was revised, and a teleconference system, live recording system, director system setup, and broadcasting platform were arranged to conduct the web-based conference. Results: We used YouTube (Alphabet Inc) and WeChat (Tencent Holdings Limited) for the web-based conference. Of the 24 hours of the conventional conference, 21.5 hours (90%) were retained in the web-based conference via live broadcasting. The conference was attended by 71% (37/52) of the original international faculties and 71% (27/38) of the overall faculties. In total, 61 out of 66 presentations (92%) were delivered. A special session—“Dialysis access management under the impact of viral epidemics”—was added to replace precongress workshops and competitions. The conference received 1810, 1452, and 1008 visits on YouTube and 6777, 4623, and 3100 visits on WeChat on conference days 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Conclusions: Switching from a conventional on-site conference to a completely web-based format within a short period is a feasible method for maintaining professional education in a socially responsible manner during a pandemic. 
SN  - 2369-3762
UR  - https://mededu.jmir.org/2021/2/e23980
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/23980
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33970866
DO  - 10.2196/23980
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/23980
ER  -