A problem-based learning curriculum in geriatrics for medical students

Problem-Based Learning for Interprofessional Education: A Review of the Concept and Its Application in a Geriatric Team

The global population is aging, with those aged 65 years or over increasing in number and accounting for a growing share of the population. There are increasing demands for geriatric care which makes the development and delivery of effective geriatric team training a priority. Training in geriatrics is complex because of the multiplicity of medical, psychosocial, and functional issues in elderly individuals which need to be addressed by a multidisciplinary approach using interprofessional education (IPE). Problem-based learning, a student-centered educational model that brings several natural strengths to IPE, is a unique curriculum replacing the traditional lecture-based learning model. This model enhances physician competency after graduation, mainly in psychosocial and teamwork issues that are fundamentally essential for geriatrics. IPE has been shown to have a substantial positive impact on team collaboration, individual development, and healthcare improvement. In this paper, we summarize the current findings from recent studies on training professionals from different healthcare disciplines to deliver care for the elderly in collaborative practice. We also discuss if an interprofessional problem-based geriatric team program in geriatrics is a promising solution to enhance professional collaboration and quality of patient care.

Problem-Based Learning in Medical Education: A Global Research Landscape of the Last Ten Years (2013-2022)

Background

Problem-based learning (PBL) constructs a curriculum that merges theory and practice by employing clinical scenarios or real-world problems. Originally designed for the pre-clinical phase of undergraduate medicine, PBL has since been integrated into diverse aspects of medical education. Therefore, this study aims to map the global scientific landscape related to PBL in medical education in the last ten years.

Methods

We combined bibliometrics and network analysis to analyze the metadata of related research articles published between 2013 and 2022 and indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection.

Results

Our results show an annual publication rate of 9.42%. The two main journals disseminating research on this subject are BMC Medical Education and Medical Teacher. Education & Educational Research and Health Care Sciences & Services are the two most frequent research areas, and also the two most central nodes of the related network. The USA and China are the most publishing countries, while the Netherlands and Canada are the most collaborative. The Maastricht University holds the position of most publishing and collaborative research organization. The University of California ranks second in publications, while the University of Toronto is the second most central research organization.

Conclusions

Our study provides an overview of the last ten years of publications related to PBL and medical education, and we hope it can be of interest to educators, researchers, and students involved with this subject.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-024-02003-1.

Effectiveness of problem-based learning methodology in undergraduate medical education: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogical approach that shifts the role of the teacher to the student (student-centered) and is based on self-directed learning. Although PBL has been adopted in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, the effectiveness of the method is still under discussion. The author's purpose was to appraise available international evidence concerning to the effectiveness and usefulness of PBL methodology in undergraduate medical teaching programs.

METHODS

The authors applied the Arksey and O'Malley framework to undertake a scoping review. The search was carried out in February 2021 in PubMed and Web of Science including all publications in English and Spanish with no limits on publication date, study design or country of origin.

RESULTS

The literature search identified one hundred and twenty-four publications eligible for this review. Despite the fact that this review included many studies, their design was heterogeneous and only a few provided a high scientific evidence methodology (randomized design and/or systematic reviews with meta-analysis). Furthermore, most were single-center experiences with small sample size and there were no large multi-center studies. PBL methodology obtained a high level of satisfaction, especially among students. It was more effective than other more traditional (or lecture-based methods) at improving social and communication skills, problem-solving and self-learning skills. Knowledge retention and academic performance weren't worse (and in many studies were better) than with traditional methods. PBL was not universally widespread, probably because requires greater human resources and continuous training for its implementation.

CONCLUSION

PBL is an effective and satisfactory methodology for medical education. It is likely that through PBL medical students will not only acquire knowledge but also other competencies that are needed in medical professionalism.

A Cross-Sectional Study: What Contributes to Nursing Students' Clinical Reasoning Competence?

Clinical reasoning is a vital competence for nursing students, as it is required for solving problems arising in complex clinical situations. Identifying the factors that influence nursing students' clinical reasoning competence in the social context can help their implicit educational needs. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the factors associated with developing clinical reasoning competency among undergraduate nursing students. In total, 206 senior nursing students were included in this study. Self-reported measures were used to obtain data on participants' clinical reasoning competence, problem-solving abilities, academic self-efficacy, and level of clinical practicum stress. Relationships among continuous variables were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficients. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify factors related to clinical reasoning competence. Our findings show that participants with better problem-solving abilities and academic self-efficacy perceived themselves as having higher levels of clinical reasoning competence. Nursing students with lower clinical practicum stress reported higher clinical reasoning competence. Significant factors identified were younger age and subcategories of problem-solving ability such as problem clarification, alternative solution development, planning/implementation, and self-regulated efficacy. Our findings highlight essential factors necessary for developing a nursing curriculum that contributes to professional nurses' clinical reasoning competence.

Educating the next generation of family caregivers through the use of dynamic case studies

Between 2008 and 2016, students in an Introduction to Gerontology course were required to complete a dynamic case study project simulating caregiving arrangement decision making. Students were divided into groups representing typical multigenerational families and were required to determine how to develop caregiving arrangements to respond to an older family member' s changing levels of need. The assignment concluded with students writing a final paper summarizing what they learned. This study examined the themes emerging from student group case study papers to gain an understanding of the challenges students face in understanding the dynamics of making family-based caregiving decisions. This is of particular importance as many students were seeking careers in human services and would be assisting clients in such decision-making processes, as well as involvement in decision making for their own family members. Themes that emerged from group papers and the implications related to gerontology education and policy are discussed.

Use of the Online Discussion Board in Health Professions Education: Contributions, Challenges, and Considerations

Online discussion boards offer opportunities for individualized and interactive learning in higher education and are frequently used in health professions education. This article investigates the ways in which discussion board activities foster cognitive and affective domain learning among health professions students and contribute to the professional competencies that are required of emerging clinicians. In addition, pedagogical challenges, including the need to develop sophisticated interpersonal affective domain skills, promote problem-based learning, and prepare students for standardized examinations, are addressed. Considerations for practice, which include the importance of specific teaching strategies such as the shaping of student and instructor roles, scaffolding, and online debates and role-playing, are discussed.