Implementation of a pilot online educational program to identify paramagnetic rim lesions

Abstract

Background: Paramagnetic rim lesions are a highly specific magnetic resonance imaging biomarker for multiple sclerosis now incorporated into the 2024 McDonald Criteria. However, paramagnetic rim lesion identification remains underutilized in clinical practice. This study evaluates the effectiveness of an online, educational platform for improving paramagnetic rim lesion identification. Design/methods: We conducted a prospective pre-post intervention study using a web-based, asynchronous educational platform. The intervention included baseline assessment, didactic education on paramagnetic rim lesion identification, interactive case-based learning with 10 examples, and post-intervention assessment. The primary efficacy endpoint was ⩾80% of participants achieving ⩾80% accuracy on post-intervention assessment. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare pre- and post-intervention scores. Results: A total of 182 participants completed the educational intervention. The proportion of respondents achieving the primary efficacy endpoint increased from 65% (n = 118) to 91% (n = 166) (McNemar’s χ 2 = 36.8, p < 0.001). Mean accuracy scores improved significantly from 3.84 ± 0.85 (76.8%) to 4.39 ± 0.77 (87.8%) correct responses out of 5 (mean difference = 0.55 points, 95% confidence interval = [0.43, 0.67], p < 0.001). Conclusions: In this pilot study, an interactive web-based educational platform improved healthcare providers’ ability to identify paramagnetic rim lesions, with 91% achieving target proficiency. This scalable approach can facilitate broader implementation of the 2024 McDonald Criteria in clinical practice.