Investigation and implementation of case-based learning in the sino-foreign joint program of preventive medicine.

Background: The current objective of preventive medicine reform is to guarantee that clinical medical students possess a comprehensive understanding of preventive medicine concepts, knowledge, and skills. Previously, case-based learning (CBL) was mostly employed to reform the clinical medicine curriculum, but there was a lack of reform in preventive medicine for clinical students in Sino-foreign joint training programs. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of case-based learning in the Sino-foreign joint program of preventive medicine.

Methods: A total of 79 clinical medical students from the Sino-foreign joint program at Wenzhou Medical University were selected as participants to engage in 10 case-based learning sessions. The effectiveness of the instruction was assessed by analyzing the final exam scores and questionnaire responses, which encompassed instructor evaluation, self-assessment, and course learning effectiveness evaluation (CLEE).

Results: In contrast to the traditional approach, which yielded a final score of 69.2, the case-based students achieved an average of 77.62. The results of instructor evaluation showed that students' academic performance, problem-solving capabilities, research cooperation and communication, and learning attitude all improved significantly following case-based learning (P < 0.05). The self-assessment scores for all five case discussion courses exceeded 75 points, suggesting that students believed their overall competence had increased significantly. The CLEE demonstrated that CBL had a positive impact on students' learning and was highly advantageous for students.

Conclusions: It is deserving of active promotion in medical education reform that case-based learning can enhance students' comprehensive quality and classroom participation. Further research is required to ascertain whether it can replace traditional teaching methods.

Trial registration: Not clinical trial.