The Need of Modifying Current Teaching in Pathology Practical Classes – A Study from Second Professional MBBS Student's Perspective in North India

Abstract

Background: The main goals of teaching in second professional MBBS Pathology practical classes is to provide a framework for the description of the disease and to provide students with knowledge of the functional and structural changes in order that disease pathogenesis is well understood. Aims: It was a cross sectional descriptive study which aimed to find out the importance of teaching in pathology practical classes in the MBBS curriculum as well as to assess the student's perception regarding subject understanding. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and sixteen students of 2nd MBBS who had already completed 1st year and were about to appear in university examination in the year 2020 were included. An extensive questionnaire was prepared regarding 2nd-year pathology teaching. The feedback from students was obtained and analyzed. Results: About 67.5% of students found pathology practical classes more interesting than theory classes. 88% of students were confident to interpret CBC reports. Almost half (50%) did not visit the histopathology section while; only 12% and 38% of students were confident to collect blood and urine samples of the patient. About 83% and 93% of students found gross specimen and clinical charts useful in teaching. 63.88% of students suggested to increase the number of practical hours in pathology. Conclusion: Our study has emphasized the importance of teaching in pathology practical classes as important for better understanding in clinical subjects. As the competency-based curriculum is being starting from 2019 batch and onward, this elaborative study, especially in the practical aspects in the subject Pathology can act as a baseline to get access to the effectiveness of the new curriculum in the coming years.