Implementing and Evaluating a Patient Safety Curriculum for Undergraduate Medical Students using Blackboard

Abstract

Background: One of the important components of the medical school curricula is patient safety education. Aim: To introduce a WHO patient safety course in medical undergraduate curriculum College of Medicine Jouf University (COM JU) using blackboard, measuring students’ attitudes and knowledge to patient safety course pre-post intervention. Methods: A quasi-experimental Pre-program/Post-program single group design was applied in this study. A Comprehensive sample of 5th-year undergraduate medical students (COM JU) (n=56) participated in the study. The first two levels of Kirkpatrick’s evaluation of educational intervention were measured; the first level (learner satisfaction) measured using The Attitudes to Patient Safety Questionnaire (APSQ) and the second level (knowledge) where students completed locally designed multiple-choice items targeting patient safety basic information. To increase student's awareness of the course author conducted a World Health Organization (WHO) learning from errors workshop before the implementation of the course. The course was uploaded on the learning management system (Blackboard). Students' satisfaction with blackboard as a learning tool for patient safety course was measured. Results: We matched student pretest with posttest and used paired t-tests to identify mean differences.Response rate was 86.15% (n=56) of students. There was a statistically significant difference between genders regarding the importance of patient safety (p =0.004). Results of (APSQ) showed that there was a minor improvement of attitude towards patient safety after the intervention. There was a statistically significant difference between students' knowledge test pre-post intervention (pre_42.86±12.17-post_54.83 ±14.9) p 0.000. Seventy-three percent 73% (n=41) of students agreed that Blackboard provided them with a positive learning experience. Conclusion: implementing a patient safety course into undergraduate medical education improved students’ knowledge of patient safety, blackboard is an effective learning management system to teach a course online from a students' perspective.