Simulation training plays a crucial role in anaesthesia training. However, there is a potential for simulation to induce stress in trainees, which could impact their performance and psychological well-being. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to synthesise research that has considered the stress—both physiological and psychological—associated with participation in simulation activities among anaesthesiology doctors. A systematic search was conducted through five databases to identify relevant articles for inclusion. All the included studies underwent a quality assessment using the Quality Assessment Tool for Studies with Diverse Designs (QATSDD), and data were extracted on relevant variables. Narrative synthesis was employed due to the heterogeneity of the studies included. A total of 19 studies were included. Eleven studies used subjective tools to assess the degree of stress developed, while eight used a mix of subjective and objective tools. Our results demonstrated how simulation training can impact learners’ psychological well-being through the development of stress and other variables related to that type of stress (i.e., performance, memory). High-fidelity simulation training is crucial for anaesthesiologists to master both clinical and non-clinical skills. Psychological and physiological stress often develops during these activities. Whenever stress develops, it could affect participants’ performance, memory, and participation in future activities. Ensuring psychological safety is a crucial tool to optimise learning outcomes. Acknowledging participants’ efforts and avoiding judgement are vital tools to decrease the stress that can develop through these educational activities.

The concept of healthcare simulation literacy is yet to be widely discussed in educational conversations within simulation communities of practice. Nevertheless, it is vital to the correct practice of simulation-based education (SBE), the core of which revolves around healthcare simulation literacy, a multifaceted domain encompassing knowledge, skills and competencies required for the effective use of simulation-based methods. This paper begins by providing an overview of the current landscape of healthcare simulation, encompassing a comprehensive definition of this crucial terminology, and describes how we attempt to strengthen simulation literacy among healthcare professionals. The challenges of such an effort are discussed, and plans are proposed.

Healthcare professionals should excel not only in academics but also in generic skills to provide high-quality care. Diverse active learning approaches are strongly believed to enhance generic skills development; however, studies supporting it are limited, particularly in Asia. This quasi-experimental quantitative study, using a one-group pre-test post-test design, aimed to determine the impact of thoughtfully designed active learning approaches, such as project-based learning, flipped classrooms and mentoring, used in the medical education (ME) elective block on generic skills development of fourth-year medical students at Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, Jakarta. Thirty-five of 36 students admitted to the ME elective block and who completed the Indonesian adaptation of the generic skills self-assessment questionnaire were included and then randomly divided into four groups. The questionnaire has six domains: analytical, perseverance, teamwork, communication, social judgement and global abstraction. Data was analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, performed using IBM SPSS version 22. Social judgement skills had the lowest score (Mdnpre = 3.00, IQRpre = 1.50; Mdnpost = 3.00, IQRpost = 2.25), and teamwork skills had the highest score (Mdnpre = 4.00, IQRpre = 0.93; Mdnpost = 4.48, IQRpost = 0.64). However, the most significant improvement was observed in analytical skills (Mdnpre = 3.22, IQRpre = 1.06; Mdnpost = 4.00, IQRpost = 0.89). While improvements were observed in all domains, improvements in participants’ analytical, perseverance, teamwork, communication and global abstraction skills were more significant (p < 0.05), suggesting the effectiveness of the employed learning approaches in facilitating the medical students’ generic skills development.

Online teaching, learning and assessment have become the new norms in higher education institutions, including medical schools. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical schools worldwide have been compelled to adopt the online mode of curriculum delivery for their students. This research aims to explore the perceptions of medical students in terms of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and acceptance of online assessments using a secure open-source Moodle platform at the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. The mixed-method design was used in this study. Furthermore, data were collected from medical students across year 1, year 2 and year 4. We utilised Google Forms to collect the data. Demographic and quantitative data were analysed using SPSS version 27, whereas qualitative data were analysed using ATLAS.ti version 9. Our study has found that the items for perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and acceptance have a mean score of more than 4.00 (positive areas) except for one item, which is “I prefer online assessment compared to paper-based assessment” with a mean score of 3.78. No item had a mean score below 3.00 (areas of concern). For the qualitative data, the total number of codes generated was 336. Eight subthemes emerged from the advantages theme, 11 from the disadvantages theme, and 11 from the suggestions theme. In conclusion, online assessment using Moodle is perceived as a feasible and acceptable replacement for traditional face-to-face assessments, especially for theory assessment. However, a few disadvantages may compromise the validity and reliability of the assessment. Thus, medical schools must try their best to address these issues to minimise the negative aspects of online assessment.

Teaching and assessing professional values for medical students is not a straightforward task. Long talks about ethical values that do not always translate into adequate practice. One improved way to instil and assess professional values in medical students is by using the Simplified Thematic Engagement of Professionalism Scale (STEPS), as practised in the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Lecturers and health professionals assess students through multiple short encounter assessments, capturing “snapshots” of professional experiences that can result in a comprehensive and reliable professionalism assessment. In this article, we suggest a slight modification of the concept: students are asked to reflect on each of the professional values listed in the STEPS and allocate marks for themselves. Then, they justify their best and worst marks by sharing the experiences that led to these marks with their mentoring lecturer(s). At the end of the posting, the mentoring lecturer(s) can, as such, come up with a reliable overall mark, based on the students’ experiences and progress.

Medical education is widely recognised for its demanding nature, which often causes significant stress among students. This pressure stems from multiple aspects of the learning process, including the need to assimilate extensive and complex medical knowledge and meet rigorous academic expectations. Without adequate coping mechanisms, these stressors can trigger academic procrastination among medical students. This study investigated the relationship between coping strategies and academic procrastination in preclinical medical students. Conducted in April 2023 at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Mataram, this cross-sectional study involved 202 students in grades 2, 4, and 6. Data were collected using stratified random sampling, the Brief COPE instrument, and an Academic Procrastination Questionnaire, all of which were validated for reliability. Statistical analysis using SPSS version 21 included chi-square tests to explore the relationship between coping strategies and procrastination levels. The findings revealed a significant relationship (p = 0.019) between coping strategies and academic procrastination. Problem-focused coping, particularly planning and active coping, received the highest scores, reflecting a constructive approach to addressing educational challenges. The most common procrastination behaviours were delaying the start of a task and difficulty in managing time, which were likely influenced by the complexity of the task and the student’s disinterest. Effective coping strategies have been found to increase motivation, improve time utilisation, and enhance task focus, reducing the likelihood of academic procrastination. These insights highlight the importance of developing adaptive coping mechanisms among medical students to mitigate stress and optimise academic performance during their formative years of education.

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is regarded as an effective assessment method for evaluating the clinical skills and competencies of healthcare professionals. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in employing more data-driven approaches to standard setting in the OSCE; one such method is the borderline regression method (BRM). This study aims to compare the BRM with the traditional method to determine the passing score of the OSCE. This study, conducted at the University of Cyberjaya, analysed data from 131 medical students who took the OSCE in the Final Professional Examination. Two methods were employed to determine the passing score for each OSCE station: the traditional method, which utilised a 50% passing score, and the BRM method, which employed simple linear regression. In the BRM method, checklist scores were regressed onto global ratings, and the borderline global rating of two was used to determine the passing score. A margin of error was applied to assess the accuracy of the passing scores. For the traditional method, this was calculated as 1.96 × standard error. Of 131 candidates, the pass mark for BRM was 1.93 points higher than the traditional method (mean = 11.93 vs mean = 10.00) for all 20 stations. The margin of error was smaller for the passing mark using BRM compared to the traditional method, with a difference of 0.09 (0.39 vs 0.48), t = 1.96, p < 0.05. The BRM resulted in a higher pass mark with a smaller margin of error, while the traditional method had the opposite effect with a broader margin of error. The study suggests considering the adoption of BRM in OSCE in medical school, but the optimal method for high-stakes clinical examinations is still inconclusive.

The idea of professional identity formation is not new; yet it remains highly relevant, especially in the evolving field of health professions education (HPE). The diverse backgrounds of professionals pursuing careers in HPE add further complexities to the field and make it increasingly difficult for professionals to identify and nurture their identities in Pakistan. This study aims to explore the multifaceted factors that influence the professional identities of health professions educationists in Pakistan. In this qualitative exploratory study, health professions educationists with more than three years of experience in medical/dental education were interviewed using purposive sampling. Data were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. We performed thematic analysis using an inductive coding technique that resulted in code generation and identification of subthemes and themes. A total of 15 health professions educationists participated in our study; 3 were males and 12 were females. We identified three overarching themes: promoters of professional identity formation, barriers to professional identity formation, and opportunities to foster professional identity formation. This study revealed that the journey of professional identity formation among Pakistani health professional educationists is complex and characterised by various challenges as well as support structures. Despite facing resource constraints and contextual challenges, educationists remain deeply committed to their roles in shaping the healthcare professionals of the future.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is developing rapidly. Currently, concerns exist about its effective and ethical incorporation in medicine, as it is not part of medical curricula. Researchers have suggested the need further to explore the incorporation of AI into medical curricula. This cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate medical students’ perspectives and expectations regarding the future of AI in medical education. A total of 578 students from different academic years at a single institution were included in this study. The majority of the students had a limited understanding of AI, and only 18.2% had received previous training on AI. The mean perception score was 6.43 ± 1.31, with poor, moderate, and good perception levels constituting 16.3%, 76%, and 5.5%, respectively. The overall mean attitude score was 27.3 ± 3.74, with 0.5% of the students exhibiting a negative attitude, 59% a neutral attitude, and 40.5% a positive attitude. A positive correlation was found between the perception and attitude scores, which suggested that the perception and attitude scores increased concomitantly. The majority of the students agreed that AI could help doctors improve their practice, with the most significant consensus regarding the inclusion of AI within medical curricula. A distinct finding of the current study is that most students believed the humanistic role of medicine would not be compromised, which could reflect their willingness to adopt and accept AI use in medicine. AI applications are transforming the medical field, and medical students are now recognising its benefits and ethical concerns. The necessity of including AI education in medical curricula is increasing, and students’ enthusiasm for and active participation in AI may make this a trend in medical education.