Medical education from the point of view of medical students: Results from four participatory Delphi panels in Quito, Ecuador

COVID-19: Medical education from the point of view of medical students using the participatory Delphi method

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a transformation of medical training. Although there were obvious medical education and social interaction challenges, e-learning presented some advantages, which may have generated medical curricula innovation and adjustments to novel technological methodologies. This study aims to generate consensuses among medical students regarding medical education provided during the pandemic in the resource-limited context of a Global South university.

METHODS

The implementation of a participatory Delphi method included a recruitment campaign, training, constitution of Delphi panels and questions, and development of the Delphi exercises. Students from the second to the sixth year of medicine of a university in Quito, Ecuador, constituted two Delphi panels, developed questions about the education received during the pandemic, and answered them over 3.5 rounds.

FINDINGS

Twenty-two medical students participated in the Delphi exercises about their perception of medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis consisted of a total of 22 Delphi questions divided into five distinct categories: adaptations and innovations, curriculum and assessment changes, virtual clinical practice, time management, and mental health. The authors established high, medium, and low consensuses for analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Consensuses were reached based on students' academic year and focused on the changes in lecture delivery, the usage of new technologies, patient care skills, the impact of the educational routine, and the mental health of the COVID-19 pandemic. The way the pandemic affected medical education in the Global South set the stage for the need for a comprehensive review of tools, skills, and curricula for students from culturally diverse backgrounds. This study offers a highly replicable methodology to generate consensuses and introduce students to academic research.

Scientific literacy and preferred resources used by Latin American medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multinational survey

Background: This study aims to identify the preferred sources for acquiring knowledge about COVID-19 and to evaluate basic knowledge on critical scientific literature appraisal in students from medical schools located in Spanish speaking countries in Latin America. 

Methods: We designed an online survey of 15 closed-ended questions related to demographics, preferred resources for COVID-19 training, and items to assess critical appraisal skills. A snowball method was used for sampling. We conducted a descriptive analysis and Chi-squared tests to compare the proportion of correct identification of the concept of a preprint and a predatory journal when considering a) self-perceived level of knowledge, b) public vs private school, c) inclusion of a scientific literature appraisal subject in the curriculum, and d) progress in medical school.

Results: Our sample included 770 valid responses, out of which most of the participants included were from Mexico (n=283, 36.8%) and Ecuador (n=229, 29.7%). Participants preferred using evidence-based clinical resources (EBCRs) to learn more about COVID-19 (n=182, 23.6%). The preferred study design was case report/series (n=218, 28.1%). We found that only 265 participants correctly identified the concept of a preprint (34.4%), while 243 students (31.6%) correctly identified the characteristics of a predatory journal. We found no significant differences in the proportion of correct answers regardless of the self-perceived level of knowledge, progress in medical school, or scientific literature critical appraisal classes.

Conclusion: This study is novel in its approach of identifying sources of knowledge used by Latin American medical students and provides insights into the need to reinforce training in critical appraisal of scientific literature during medical school.