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.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) encompass 17 interconnected objectives aiming to eliminate hunger and end poverty by 2030. In contrast, planetary health examines the interplay between human-caused environmental disruptions and their impact on human health. Doctors, at the forefront of healthcare, play a crucial role in promoting well-being and advocating sustainable health. It is therefore essential to ensure the next generation of doctors is taught about SDGs and planetary health. However, research has shown a gap in the incorporation of these vital concepts into Malaysian undergraduate medical curricula due to various challenges faced by medical schools. We propose a multifaceted approach to address these issues. Through the implementation of these recommendations, medical schools will be equipped to bridge the knowledge gap and prepare future-proof doctors for a healthier and more sustainable world.

Online learning has become a vital tool in health sciences education, transforming access to content and pedagogical approaches across medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry and more. This bibliometric analysis aimed to illuminate the knowledge structure underlying research on online learning across various health disciplines. Using the Web of Science and Scopus databases, 2,436 publications from 1981 to 2024 were analysed for trends, contributors, citations, and conceptual themes. Results showed an exponential growth trajectory, indicating the rising prominence of e-learning research. The United States led in terms of productivity, followed by other Western nations and emerging countries. Highly cited works established e-learning’s viability if well-implemented, but uncertainties regarding competency development and blended models remained. Analysis of author keywords revealed a multidimensional scope spanning technologies, pedagogy, learner experiences, pandemic impacts, assessments, and health disciplines. However, comparative research across fields and stakeholder perspectives beyond academia is limited. While the exponential growth of the knowledge base confirms e-learning’s increasing role in transforming health professions education, critical gaps persist regarding equitable access, infrastructure, faculty training, blended models, competency tracking, and translating evidence into practice. Proactive efforts that engage diverse stakeholders, strengthen developing country participation, utilise mixed methods, and address persistent challenges are vital future directions. This bibliometric analysis provides valuable insights into the structure and evolution of research on integrating online learning in the health professions.

Logbooks are widely used in medical education during the clinical years. However, evidence of their usefulness is inconclusive. The objective of this study was to explore medical graduates’ perceptions of using logbooks during their clinical years as students. This qualitative study involved the use of semi-structured individual interviews with a total of 15 respondents. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed, and an inductive thematic analysis of the data was conducted using NVivo software. Three themes were identified for the role of logbooks in learning: Logbooks provide guidance for self-directed learning; logbooks facilitate authentic learning experiences; and logbooks lead to opportunities for interprofessional interaction. Two main themes emerged with regard to the advantages of using logbooks for assessments: A logbook is a component of summative assessment, and it provides external motivation. In addition, three themes emerged regarding the disadvantages of logbooks: the extensive items in logbooks, the practicality of using logbooks, and the lack of feedback when logbooks are used. Themes that emerged from the respondents’ suggestions to improve logbook use included constructing a blueprint for logbook use, applying a mechanism for monitoring progress, and changing the logbook format. In conclusion, logbooks play a positive role in learning during the clinical years, and students consider logbooks to be acceptable assessment tools. However, excessive items and a lack of feedback act as barriers to effective logbook usage.

Introducing a new teaching method into the curriculum is challenging and requires stakeholder agreement, involvement and training. A concurrent, coordinated and innovative team-based learning (TBL) protocol was developed and applied to a cohort of 199 students. TBL sessions in restorative dentistry were conducted simultaneously in different rooms. More than 80% of the students who responded to the feedback questionnaires either agreed or strongly agreed that the TBL sessions helped improve their knowledge, information gathering and critical thinking skills. Open comments indicated that the TBL sessions were beneficial in the group discussion that ensued, as they embraced varying or differing opinions and enhanced critical thinking skills. A stepwise approach was used to integrate the innovative protocol into the curriculum. A cycle of faculty training, standardisation, implementation, student feedback, modification and closing the loop was established with favourable student feedback.

Simulated patients (SPs) and faculty are integral assessors tasked with grading medical students’ communication skills in objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs). Understanding their perspectives on this evaluation process is vital for ensuring fairness and impartiality. We conducted a comprehensive analysis, investigating both the quantitative interrater agreement between faculty and trained SPs’ grades on students’ communication skills and qualitatively exploring the factors influencing their grading decisions. Anonymised communication skill grades from 376 students were obtained and analysed. There was a lack of agreement between SPs and faculty grades at different stations. Furthermore, we explored the factors that influence their grading practices through focused group discussions with SPs and faculty examiners. Shared views between SPs and faculty regarding factors influencing grading included the scale of examinations and students’ semesters. Large-scale examinations cause mental fatigue among examiners, and students from higher semesters of study are graded more strictly. The factors that did not influence grading were the course fees, consequences of failing or demotivating students, and examination rules. SPs and faculty held differing views on the influence of their roles and student characteristics, notably grooming and appearance. These disparities expose students to diverse patient perspectives they will encounter in their future roles as healthcare professionals, highlighting the complexity of communication skills assessment in OSCEs and the necessity for a comprehensive approach.

Similar to conventional learning, an effective pedagogical approach is crucial to ensure that online micro-credentials achieve their intended outcomes and learners can effectively transfer their newly acquired knowledge and skills to real-world applications. However, a lack of universally accepted frameworks for developing online micro-credential instruction leads to variability in the approaches used. This scoping review aims to address this gap by mapping the key aspects and elements of educational frameworks employed in creating online micro-credentials for the general population. The review will be conducted in accordance with the methodology for scoping reviews established by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). The search strategy will include published studies from Scopus, EBSCOhost, and ERIC databases. Additional relevant literature will be retrieved from the advanced Google search engine, as well as government and university guidelines. Eligible studies will be limited to those published from 2013 onwards and in the English language. Two independent reviewers will perform the screening, selection, and data extraction processes. The findings will be presented in a combination of tabular format and narrative summary. They will be structured based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMAScR) checklist.

The current study was conducted at Rehman Medical College from April to August 2021 to compare the academic performance of students in forensic medicine based on gender and residential status and to correlate class attendance with students’ academic performance in pre-professional and professional examinations. A total of 469 students (male = 255 and female = 214) of the third year MBBS were recruited via universal sampling. Both examinations consisted of two components: theory and viva voce. For academic differences based on gender and locality, students were assigned to five groups. The first consisted of students with marks < 50%. Subsequent groups were constituted of students with marks in the ranges of 51%–60%, 61%–70%, 71%–80% and > 80%, in a progressive sequence. In an additional dimension focused on discerning the symbiotic relationship between frequency of classroom presence and scholastic prowess, students were demarcated into four separate groups: < 75% attendance, 76%–85%, 86%–95% and > 95%. Analytical procedures of a descriptive and comparative nature were conducted through SPSS version 22.0. A p-value not exceeding 0.05 was posited as the demarcation line for determining statistical relevance. The academic performance of most students improved in the professional examination. However, the students with ≥ 70% marks in pre-professional examination had less robust, albeit statistically significant, improvement in the professional examination. In terms of academic performance, an important difference was found based on gender and residential status, which were compared in both examinations. A statistically significant correlation was found between class attendance and students’ academic performance in pre-professional and professional examinations (all p < 0.001).

This study examined the effectiveness of the Bibir Method, a novel approach designed to promote active participation in problem-based learning (PBL) group discussions. The Bibir Method consists of three components: standing while speaking, speaking even when one does not have an opinion, and rotating speaking turns. An experimental approach was employed to assess its effectiveness, with both lecturers and students completing questionnaires before and after the intervention. The results highlight the Bibir Method’s strong impact on increasing student participation in PBL, with lecturers expressing higher satisfaction with the Bibir Method (100%) than the conventional method (54.6%). However, challenges were noted, particularly regarding the need for adequate preparation in Tutorial 2, as less prepared students expressed dissatisfaction with the method. Student satisfaction regarding Tutorial 2 was lower with the Bibir Method (71.61%) than with the conventional method (91.35%). In the first tutorial, the three components of the Bibir Method received strong endorsement: standing while speaking (89.47%), speaking even without an opinion (84.21%), and rotating speaking turns (95%). In the second tutorial, endorsement rates were 82.35%, 88.23%, and 94.11%, respectively. In conclusion, the Bibir Method is an effective strategy for enhancing active participation in PBL discussions and could be a valuable addition to educational settings where students tend to be passive during discussions.