BMC Medical Education最新文献

Background: Digital literacy and scientific creativity are becoming significant concerns in the cultivation of professional and innovative talents within medical higher education, particularly given the widespread application of digital technology in modern medicine. Although existing studies suggest a link between digital skills and students' performance, research specifically focusing on the relationship between digital literacy and scientific creativity remains limited. Furthermore, the internal mechanisms through which digital literacy influences scientific creativity have not been clearly elucidated. Knowledge conversion, as conceptualized in the SECI model, may mediate this relationship. This study aims to explore the relationship between digital literacy and scientific creativity among medical students and assesses the mediating role of knowledge conversion and its four dimensions.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 770 medical students from Central South University (December 2024 to March 2025) was conducted using digital literacy scales, scientific creativity scales, and knowledge conversion scales. SPSS 24.0 and AMOS software were used to analyze the data, with mediating effects specifically examined via the Hayes PROCESS macro.

Results: Digital literacy exhibited a significant positive effect on medical students' scientific creativity. Mediation analysis revealed that knowledge conversion served as a significant mediator, explaining the vast majority of this effect, which underscores its role as a primary pathway. However, a significant direct effect of digital literacy remained, thus confirming a partial mediation model. Among the dimensions of knowledge conversion, externalization emerged as the most potent mediator.

Conclusions: This study highlights the significant role of digital literacy in directly enhancing the scientific creativity of medical students, as well as the mediating effect of knowledge transformation, particularly in its externalization dimension. The findings provide valuable insights for educational interventions, indicating that strategies should not only focus on digital skills but also integrate knowledge management training. Furthermore, the proposed DLSC-SECI model provides a theoretical framework for systematic training aimed at improving the scientific creativity of medical students in the digital era.

Background: Although curiosity in medicine is associated with many benefits, the literature is generally sparse or anecdotal. We seek to contribute to the understanding of curiosity by exploring its perception in the context of undergraduate medical education.

Methods: Given its subjective and abstract concept, we utilised a qualitative approach in this research. Focus groups and one-to-one semi structured interviews with medical students, clinical teachers and senior curriculum leaders were undertaken. Data collected was thematically analysed using Braun and Clarke model.

Results: All participants felt curiosity was important for learning and patient care. Curiosity was perceived to be a dynamic process - from the initial stage of knowledge acquisition to holistic practice. Teachers were identified as agents to nurture curiosity. Positive role modelling, enthusiasm in teaching and effective teaching styles were some ways to achieve this. Exams were deemed to hinder the development of curiosity. Participants felt curiosity could be nurtured through an ad-hoc basis during students' day-to-day placement and structured learning activities.

Conclusions: We recommend that medical schools review their existing curriculum to identify more opportunities for curiosity development and eliminate potential barriers. Regular workshops for teachers could raise awareness on nurturing curiosity and to develop effective teaching skills.

Background: Basic research is essential for the development of dental science, and the demand for medical doctors involved in basic research is increasing. However, the enthusiasm and resolve to engage in basic science research has declined, as understanding the necessity of and conducting basic science research with clinical observations are challenging for students. In addition, the increasing need to implement cross-disciplinarity in dental research activities has even weakened research innovation. In response, the School of Stomatology launched a programme named the Academic Career Planning Course of Stomatology Students (ACPCSS) in 2022. This study evaluated the programme's effectiveness in enhancing dental students' enthusiasm, commitment, and innovation in basic research.

Methods: The programme has set up three modules to facilitate on-site or online lectures on the necessity of basic science in stomatology subdisciplines to strengthen students' enthusiasm, and the approaches of clinical-research integration to develop their resolve, and cross-disciplinary research innovation with dental science. In the cross-sectional study, questionnaires were distributed to evaluate the effect of the programme. Retrospective analyses compared academic performance-measured by publications and funded research projects-among students with different levels of lecture participation.

Results: To date, the programme has held 22 lectures, and a total of 3357 participants have attended. The participating dental students have engaged in more scientific activities, including publishing more research papers and multidisciplinary papers and acquiring more funded projects. ACPCSS is associated with improved dental students' awareness of the necessity of research, increased resolve to engage in basic science, and enhanced innovation in dental research.

Conclusion: The ACPCSS project has cultivated participants' enthusiasm, resolve, and innovative abilities in scientific research. This was accomplished through three dedicated training modules, which emphasized: the necessity of research in dental subspecialties, clinical research integration methodology, and cross-disciplinary research exploration.

Background: To evaluate the efficacy of a modified snowballing method in teaching Oral Pathology to dental students, aiming to enhance their understanding and performance in elaborating clinical diagnoses and in preparation for dental board exams.

Methods: Oral Pathology topics relevant to the dental curriculum were introduced to students throughout the course. At the end of the term, practice sessions were booked and essential information about this active methodology was provided to the students, who reviewed the content and individually tackled a multiple-answer quiz mirroring the format of their upcoming dental board exams. Subsequently, students formed small groups to retake the same quiz, this time, sharing knowledge and discussing answers collaboratively amongst themselves. Each group reached a consensus on their answers and submitted a single group response. The exercise concluded with a class discussion led by the course coordinator to consolidate learning outcomes.

Results: The class average on the individual quiz was 51.7% ± 5.8%, which significantly improved to 80.6% ± 4.3% on the group quiz (p = 0.001). Every student exhibited up to 61.6% of improvement in their scores when comparing individual and group quiz results.

Conclusions: Integrating a modified snowballing technique into dental education enhances diagnostic reasoning, teamwork, and exam preparedness among dental students. This active learning approach fosters essential skills for interprofessional collaboration and better equips future practitioners to manage complex oral health cases within integrated health care settings. The modified snowballing technique employed herein has significantly and positively impacted the performance of dental students in their performance on board exam-style Oral Pathology questions. It is expected that implementing a modified snowballing technique in dental education can lead to better learning outcomes and increased confidence among students in handling clinical cases and exam scenarios, also helping them prepare more effectively for dental board exams.

Background: Accurately predicting academic performance among medical postgraduate students is crucial for understanding educational outcomes and providing effective early academic guidance. Traditional statistical approaches often struggle to balance predictive performance with interpretability, particularly when handling complex relationships among academic and psychosocial factors.

Methods: A semi-structured survey was administered to medical postgraduate students at a Chinese medical university, yielding a final sample of 1,091 participants. GPA was dichotomized into two categories: outstanding academic performance (GPA ≥ 80) and non-outstanding academic performance (GPA < 80). Feature selection was performed using the Boruta algorithm. Logistic regression and XGBoost models were developed and evaluated on a held-out test set. Model performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, accuracy, and complementary validation metrics. Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) analysis was applied to interpret the contributions of key predictors.

Results: Both models demonstrated acceptable predictive performance. Undergraduate academic achievement emerged as the most influential predictor of GPA classification, followed by selected psychosocial characteristics and foundational academic skills. Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) interpretation provided transparent insights into the relative importance and directionality of these predictors.

Conclusion: This study presents an interpretable machine learning framework for predicting academic performance in medical postgraduate education. By combining predictive modeling with explainable techniques, the proposed approach supports reliable performance assessment while maintaining transparency, offering a methodological foundation for future research and cautious application in educational analytics.

Background: The prevalence of burnout complaints among medical residents is high and rising, with health-related consequences for residents, and negative impact on the quality of healthcare. Group reflection sessions are a promising intervention to impact on burnout and enhance well-being in medical professionals. The aim was to evaluate the effect of a consecutive series of 6-10 group reflection sessions of 2.5-3 h each, on job demands, job resources, resilience, burnout symptom and work engagement in medical residents.

Methods: The study has a pre- and post-intervention controlled design. A group of residents (n = 78) received group reflection sessions lasting on average nine months, with a control group (n = 23) not receiving any intervention. Data collection at baseline and after nine months included: demographics, job demands, job and personal resources, resilience, the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). Temporal changes, within and between groups were tested.

Results: At baseline, 3% of the intervention group and 0% of the control group was at risk for burnout. In the intervention group, resources (supervisor support, self-efficacy, and resilience) improved significantly over time (differences in means T1 - T0: 0.09; 0.10; 0.08 respectively, p < 0.05). In the control group, one resource (resilience subscale hope) and work engagement decreased significantly over time (difference in means T1 - T0: -0.23, -0.32, respectively, p < 0.05). Group differences were not significant over time (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: Group reflection aided to maintain and strengthen psychological capital in residents. The lack of significant between-group differences over time might be explained by floor and ceiling effects, limited power and a too short follow-up period to detect the development of burnout risk. Research in a larger sample is required to corroborate these preliminary findings on psychological capital. Research with a longer follow-up in a group at risk for burnout is needed to test effects on burnout complaints and whether this effect is mediated by psychological capital.