BMC Medical Education最新文献

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.

Background: Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly recognized as a valuable tool in undergraduate medical education. It offers immersive, interactive environments that support experiential learning and skill development. However, its specific application in internal medicine education remains variably described. This scoping review aims to explore how VR is currently implemented in undergraduate internal medicine education, identify its educational outcomes, and highlight associated advantages, limitations, and gaps in literature.

Methods: Following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we conducted a comprehensive search of eight databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. Studies were included if they addressed the use of VR in internal medicine education among undergraduate medical students. Data were extracted and analyzed thematically.

Results: Of 1343 records screened, 9 studies published between 2017 and 2024 met the inclusion criteria. Studies originated from diverse countries and employed immersive and non-immersive VR technologies. Applications included teaching clinical reasoning, procedural skills, and emergency management. VR was associated with improved student engagement, satisfaction, and knowledge retention. Key advantages included scalability, safety, and cost-effectiveness. Limitations included technical challenges, limited physical interaction, and high initial costs. Few studies assessed long-term outcomes or included diverse, low-resource settings.

Conclusion: VR is a promising adjunct to traditional internal medicine education, enhancing learner engagement and skill acquisition. However, its integration requires addressing technical barriers, ensuring faculty training, and expanding research to include diverse educational contexts and long-term effectiveness.

Background: Scenario-based animations are e-learning tools that offer significant contributions to students to transform their learning into action by influencing their perceptions and feelings. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of a scenario-based range of motion exercise animation on nursing students' knowledge, motivation, and attitudes.

Methods: The randomized controlled experimental study was conducted in December 2021. The students were randomly assigned to experimental (n=52) and control (n=52) groups. Data were obtained with the "Student Information Form", "Range of Motion Exercises Knowledge Test","E-Learning Motivation Scale", and "E-Learning Attitude Scale". The study was carried out in two stages. First, the scenario-based animation video was created. In the second, the experimental group was trained with the scenario-based animation video, and the control group with the basic skill video. Ethics committee approval was obtained (Date:21/12/2020, Number: 24237859-775).

Results: Both groups' knowledge levels increased in the post-test (p = 0.001), but there was no statistically significant difference in the knowledge levels between the groups (p > 0.001). Besides, the motivation and attitude scores of the students in the experimental group were statistically significantly higher than those of the students in the control group in the post-test (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Scenario-based animation videos in nursing education are instructive and have a positive effect on developing high motivation and attitude in students. Scenario-based animation videos should be integrated into the nursing education curriculum as course material.

Background: Burnout among medical students is a widespread problem that threatens academic performance, well-being, and professional identity. The educational environment is crucial for shaping students' psychological resilience regarding burnout. The current study investigates how perceptions of the educational environment and reflective self-perceptions are associated with burnout symptoms among students enrolled in three different language medical programs.

Methods: A cross-sectional, self-report study was conducted among 731 medical students across three language programs at a Hungarian university. Participants completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) and the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM). Language program, age, sex and study semester were also included as variables into the model and statistical analyses to check for potential meaningful differences.

Results: Significant differences in burnout dimensions were observed across language groups, with international students reporting higher emotional exhaustion and lower academic efficacy. All five DREEM subscales showed moderate correlations with burnout dimensions. Regression analyses identified social self-perception as a consistent negative predictor of exhaustion and cynicism, and academic self-perception as a significant positive predictor of academic efficacy. Reflective self-perception mechanisms were found to function as protective factors across all models.

Conclusions: Medical students' burnout is significantly linked to their perceptions of both academic and social aspects of their competences related to their educational environment. Enhancing self-reflective capacities and fostering a socially supportive learning climate may help reduce burnout risk, particularly among international and female students.

Background: Academic stress is a dynamic cognitive appraisal process in which students perceive educational demands as exceeding their coping resources This perception is associated with emotional and behavioral responses that relate to well-being and perceived academic stress.

Objective: This study aimed to identify the main academic stressors in medical students and to examine their relationship with sleep quality, physical activity, and gender, specifically focusing on perceived stress rather than academic grades.

Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted including sociodemographic questions and validated instruments: the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Academic Stress Questionnaire (E-CEA), and the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Logistic regression analyses were performed.

Results: Significant gender-related differences were found in stress responses and coping strategies. Female students reported higher levels of academic overload (p = 0.004), emotional demands, and exam-related anxiety (p = 0.005), as well as differences in exam preparation strategies (p = 0.037). Regarding lifestyle factors, poor sleep quality was identified as a significant factor associated with higher stress levels (OR = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.03-1.22).

Conclusion: Academic overload and exam anxiety were identified as significant factors associated with medical students´ well-being. Female students showed a higher probability of reporting stress (OR = 5.56). These findings highlight the need for gender-sensitive psychoeducational interventions that promote healthy sleep habits and stress management alongside physical activity recommendations.