Effects of bedside team-based learning on pediatric clinical practice in Chinese medical students

J. P. Rikers R, Pourahmadi M, Soltani Arabshahi SK, Keshtkar A, Dargahi H, Yaghmaei M, Monajemi A. Teaching and learning clinical reasoning skill in undergraduate medical students: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Clinical reasoning involves the application of knowledge and skills to collect and integrate information, typically to arrive at a diagnosis, implement appropriate interventions, solve clinical problems, and improve the quality of health care and patient outcomes. It is a vital competency that medical students must acquire, as it is considered the heart of medicine.

PURPOSE

This scoping review aimed to identify and summarize the existing literature on learning and teaching strategies for improving clinical reasoning skill in undergraduate medical education.

METHODS

We conducted electronic searches in Scopus, PubMed/Medline (NLM), Web of Science (WOS), and ERIC to retrieve articles published between January 1, 2010, and March 23, 2024. We also performed hand searches by scanning the reference lists of included studies and similar reviews and searching three key journals. After removing duplicates, two reviewers independently extracted data from primary articles using a standard data extraction form. The authors used Arksey and O'Malley's framework.

RESULTS

Among the 46581 retrieved records, 54 full-text articles were included in the present review. We categorized the educational strategies based on their aspects, focus, and purpose. Included studies used various educational strategies for improving clinical reasoning skill in undergraduate medical education by serial cue or whole clinical cases that presented as process-oriented or knowledge-oriented.

CONCLUSION

This scoping review investigated various dimensions of educational intervention for improving clinical reasoning skill in undergraduate medical education. There is a need for more precision studies with larger sample sizes, designing studies according to randomized controlled trials standards, determining MCID, or performing meta-analyses to acquire robust and conclusive results.

The application effect of the segmented teaching method in training medical students on clinical practice skills

BACKGROUND

The surgical clinical practice skill training is an important part of medical undergraduate education. Surgical skills are complex and difficult to master. However, the traditional teaching method has some disadvantages, for example, low student participation, weak learning atmosphere, inadequate mastery of the subject matter. We innovatively put forward the segmented teaching method in the field of clinical practice skills training. The segmented teaching method refers to dividing a specific teaching content into several relatively independent parts and providing segmented practice for each part. This approach enhances students' learning outcomes.The aim of this controlled study is to investigate the effects of the segmented teaching methods on clinical practice skills training in medical students.

METHODS

31 medical students participating in clinical practice skill training at The First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China from March to April 2024 were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 16) receiving segmented teaching method or the control group (n = 15) receiving traditional teaching method. After completion of practical exercises, both groups underwent operational assessments, theoretical assessments, Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-CEX), and Student Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ) for teaching quality evaluation. A comparative analysis of the results between the two groups was conducted.

RESULTS

After implementing the program, there were no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) between the experimental and control groups in theoretical assessment scores, Mini-CEX clinical judgment scores, and SEEQ teaching quality evaluation scores. However, compared to the control group, the experimental group demonstrated better operational assessment scores, higher Mini-CEX scores in history taking, physical examination, professionalism, doctor-patient communication, organizational efficiency, and comprehensive abilities, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The application of segmented teaching method in clinical practice skill training for medical students yields favorable training outcomes.

Team-based learning (TBL) in clinical disciplines for undergraduate medical students-a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Team-based learning (TBL) is an evidence-based pedagogical method that has been used in undergraduate medical education since 2001. However, its use in clinical disciplines is rarely reported, and the impact of its implementation is not known. The aim of this study was to explore and map the published literature on the impact of implementing TBL in clinical disciplines in undergraduate medical education.

METHODS

A comprehensive search of Medline, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and Web of Science databases was performed on November 24, 2021 and updated April 6, 2023, using relevant Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and free-text terms. Original research studies reporting on the implementation of TBL in clinical disciplines in undergraduate medical education published in peer-reviewed English language journals were included irrespective of their methodological design.

RESULTS

The initial search identified 2,383 records. Of these, 49 met the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies (n = 44, 90%) described the implementation of a modified version of TBL in which one or more TBL steps were missing, and one study had undefined protocol for the implementation. The most reported outcomes were knowledge acquisition (n = 38, 78%) and students' satisfaction or attitudes toward TBL (n = 34, 69%). Despite some differences in their results, the studies found that implementing TBL is associated with increased knowledge acquisition (n = 19, 39%), student engagement (n = 6, 12%), and student satisfaction (n = 31, 63%).

CONCLUSIONS

Most of the studies reported positive results in students' satisfaction and students' engagement, whilst the results on knowledge acquisition and retention were more contradictory. In most of the studies, TBL was implemented in a modified form and diverse comparators were used. The methodological quality also varied. Thus, no unequivocal conclusions could be drawn regarding the value of implementing TBL in clinical disciplines. More studies with rigorous methodologies are needed in this field.

Learning Collaborative Clinical Reasoning in Healthcare Education: An Integrative Review

BACKGROUND

Collaborative clinical reasoning (CCR) occurs when two or more healthcare professionals reflect and negotiate an issue regarding patient's situation or care. This represents a crucial learning goal that needs to be achieved during healthcare education.

PURPOSE

To describe the characteristics of and the pre-conditions for learning collaborative clinical reasoning in healthcare education.

METHOD

An integrative review was conducted. A systematic search was carried out in May 2020 (updated in August 2022) in four databases (CINAHL, Pubmed/Medline, Scopus and Eric/EBSCO). Thirty-three peer-reviewed research articles met the inclusion criteria and were included into a data quality appraisal and analysis. The data was analysed with inductive content analysis.

RESULTS

The characteristics of learning collaborative clinical reasoning were described using the following categories: 1) the collaborative clinical reasoning learning method 2) the collaborative clinical reasoning learning environment and 3) the collaborative clinical reasoning learners. The pre-conditions for learning collaborative clinical reasoning were described using the following categories: 1) the learning situation when learning collaborative clinical reasoning, 2) interaction when learning collaborative clinical reasoning and 3) clinical context when learning collaborative clinical reasoning. The learning situation includes the pedagogical preparation before the learning of collaborative clinical reasoning. The interaction consists of facilitation, feedback and peer communication during the learning of collaborative clinical reasoning. The clinical context utilized in the learning of collaborative clinical reasoning needs to be realistic and familiar for the students.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that interventions enhancing collaboration and clinical reasoning apply a variety of learning methods, however there are certain characteristics of and pre-conditions for learning collaborative clinical reasoning to be considered.

Case Report-Driven Medical Education in Rural Family Medicine Education: A Thematic Analysis

Case-based education (CBE) is a teaching method in which learners work on real-life cases to learn and apply concepts and skills they have been taught. Case report-driven medical education using the CBE framework can effectively facilitate student and resident learning, and entice them to become involved in actual clinical practice. Specific case report-driven medical education methods and learning outcomes are not clarified. This study aimed to clarify the specific learning processes and outcomes of case report-driven medical education in rural community-based medical education. Using a qualitative design based on a thematic analysis approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The study participants were medical students and residents in training at a rural Japanese community hospital. Fifty-one case reports were completed and published in Cureus from April 2021 to March 2023. Participants learned about various difficulties related to volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) in the medical care of various older patients, which increased their interest in family medicine. They appreciated the importance of case reports in academic careers and how their responsibilities as researchers increase with collaboration. Case report-driven medical education in community hospitals can drive medical students' and junior residents' learning regarding family medicine in the VUCA world.

The Application of Mental Health Teaching Method and Special Teaching Method in College Chinese Teaching under the Network Environment

In order to improve the quality of College Chinese teaching, innovate the teaching mode, enrich the teaching content, and fundamentally improve the application and practice ability of college students so as to promote the reform of College Chinese teaching, this article briefly describes the research background of this subject, introduces the special teaching mode under the network environment, and briefly describes the basic content and practice of the special teaching method. This article mainly explores the construction of a network environment based on blockchain technology, including the construction of a blockchain framework and the application of the blockchain system. This article briefly analyzes the functional requirements of the network environment, explores the application practice of the mental health teaching method and the special subject teaching method based on the network environment, and finally studies the creation and implementation of the network environment conditions of the special subject teaching method. By creating a high-quality network environment, it provides a technical guarantee for the application and realization of special teaching method, effectively meets the needs of College Chinese teaching, and cultivates students' interest. Under the joint action of the above algorithms, the BTP congestion control system is verified by the laboratory simulation environment: it has more than 40% random packet loss resistance, the bandwidth is still available as low as 300 kbps, and the network jitter is 1200 ms. It has been proved that the mental health teaching method, the special subject teaching method, and the network environment have remarkable application effects in College Chinese teaching and are worthy of wide application and promotion.