Perceptions of 1st-year MBBS students and 1st-year medical faculties toward AETCOM-based medical curriculum

Background: The field of medical education is constantly evolving to meet the demands of an ever-changing health-care landscape. To address the dynamic challenges faced by medical professionals, medical colleges across the globe are adopting innovative and comprehensive approaches to curriculum design. One such approach that has gained significant attention is the attitude, ethics, and communication (AETCOM) based medical curriculum, which emphasizes developing not only clinical knowledge and technical skills but also ethical values, empathetic communication, and a patient-centric approach among medical students. Aim and Objective: This study aims to record the perceptions of medical students and faculties regarding the effectiveness of AETCOM modules. Materials and Methods: This is an analytical cross-sectional study performed in October 2022 where a pre-validated questionnaire consisting of components of AETCOM was e-mailed to the 1st-year MBBS students of Jhalawar Medical College and teaching faculties of Jhalawar Medical College through Google Forms. The results were analyzed by statistics is a statistical software suite 23.0 (trail version) and the Chi-square test was used for data analysis and P < 0.05 is considered significant. Results: About 95% of students have positive perceptions regarding the mandatory inclusion of AETCOM competencies. However, only 73.3% of faculties have positive perceptions regarding the mandatory inclusion of AETCOM competencies and 26.7% completely disagree with the beneficial role of mandatory inclusion of AETCOM competencies in competency-based medical education curriculum. Conclusions: A hybrid problem-oriented approach is one of the most effective ways for students to promote communication skills, in building doctor-patient relationships and understanding the professional qualities and roles of a physician.