Prevalence of medical students’ satisfaction with online education during COVID- 19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Electronic (E)-learning is defined as the use of electronic tools for education, training, and communication. Education, among many other sectors, has been profoundly affected by the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). More than 90% of the world’s students are unable to attend teaching sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study was conducted in accordance with the published guidelines for meta-analysis and reviews (PRISMA) reporting guidelines. A database and electronic search was performed on September 21st, 2021 using PubMed, Medline and Embase through the OVID platform, and ScienceDirect. We removed duplicates, and screened the title, abstract, and full texts of included papers. We included studies published only in English and excluded studies without sufficient data, case reports, editorials, and protocols. The quality of included articles was examined using the AXIS tool for cross-sectional studies, and the Newcastle–Ottawa scale for observational case-control studies. From the included studies, demographic and satisfaction with online education (OE) prevalence data were extracted and analyzed. We calculated the pooled prevalence of medical students’ satisfaction. Results: Eighteen studies with a total sample of 7,907 students were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of medical students’ satisfaction with online education was 0.57 (95% CI: 47 - 67%). Publication bias was assessed and reported. Conclusions: The pooled prevalence of medical students’ satisfaction with online education was 53 %. Online learning satisfaction was associated with students’ prior experience with OE. The greatest benefit of OE is overcoming obstacles faced with learning Major challenges for implementing OE were technical and infrastructural resources.