Undergraduate Medical Students Research Articles

The Need for More Learning Opportunities in Real-Time Ultrasonography for Undergraduate Medical Students: A Call for Pre-clerkship Electives

AbstractMedical education is at a point of transition in which it must reform to meet the demand of healthcare providers competent in ultrasonography. This article recommends the pre-clerkship elective infrastructure as a method for medical schools to begin prototyping content and modes of delivering ultrasound education. Doing so will prepare medical students earlier in their careers to use and build upon their knowledge of ultrasound during clerkships and as residents.

Perceptions of attitudes toward statistics among medical undergraduates: insights from a regional medical college in China.

Among Chinese medical students, medical statistics is often perceived as a formidable subject. While existing research has explored the attitudes of Chinese postgraduate medical students towards statistics and its impact on academic performance, there is a scarcity of studies examining the attitudes of Chinese medical undergraduates on this subject. This study endeavors to scrutinize the attitudes of Chinese medical undergraduates towards statistics, assessing their ramifications on learning achievements, and delving into the influence of demographic factors. 1266 medical undergraduates participated in this study, completing a questionnaire that included SATS-36 and additional queries. Furthermore, an examination was administered at the end of the medical statistics course. The analysis encompassed the SATS score and exam scores, examining both the overall participant population and specific demographic subgroups. Undergraduate medical students generally exhibit a favorable disposition towards statistics concerning Affect, Cognitive Competence, and Value components, yet harbor less favorable sentiments regarding the Difficulty component of SATS-36, aligning with previous research findings. In comparison to their postgraduate counterparts, undergraduates display heightened enthusiasm for medical statistics. However, they demonstrate a lower cognitive capacity in statistics and tend to underestimate both the value and difficulty of learning statistics. Despite these disparities, undergraduate medical students express a genuine interest in statistics and exhibit a strong dedication to mastering the subject. It is noteworthy that students' attitudes toward statistics may be influenced by their major and gender. Additionally, there exists a statistically significant positive correlation between learning achievement and the Affect, Cognitive Competence, Value, Interest, and Effort components of the SATS-36, while a negative correlation is observed with the Difficulty component. Educators should carefully consider the influence of attitudes toward statistics, especially the variations observed among majors and genders when formulating strategies and curricula to enhance medical statistics education.

Gender awareness among the undergraduate medical students: A cross sectional study from Hyderabad, India

Gender awareness among the undergraduate medical students: A cross sectional study from Hyderabad, India

Non-communicable disease risk reduction training for medical graduates in India: context, challenges and opportunities.

Physicians' hold pivotal roles in improving non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Studies conducted in India revealed that physicians' feel unprepared to address NCDs risk reduction and provide counseling. We conducted a gap analysis using desk reviews to identify inclusion of NCD risk reduction in medical curricula, and a scoping review to assess knowledge, attitude, perception, and practice related to NCD risk reduction among the undergraduate medical students in India. We also conducted key-informant interviews to understand perceptions among medical students and physicians. We found a lack of knowledge about NCDs and strong interest and perceived need for NCD risk reduction training among both medical students and their teachers. Our findings suggest promoting NCD prevention by physicians and allied health workers in clinical settings can enable the learning environment for medical students to adopt these practices.

Knowledge, attitude and practices towards COVID-19 among Indian medical undergraduates: a questionnaire-based study.

The Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-Cov-2) has emerged as a recent pandemic, increasing the need for epidemiological studies and studies on public health. Only some studies have evaluated the awareness of medical undergraduates in India and other countries, leading to a lack of literature. This study is a descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based study conducted in Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, India, between June to August 2020. An online survey using Google Forms was circulated among undergraduate medical students in India by a convenient sampling method for data collection. Descriptive analysis was derived based on frequencies and percentages, and the association with age, gender, and year of undergraduate training medical course was derived using the chi-square test. Altogether, 630 students from India responded to the survey, with a maximum response from students studying in the second year (38.7%). Nearly 63.85% of responders identified themselves as females. Knowledge regarding the human-to-human transmission of the virus, symptoms, complications, definition of "close contact, quarantine, and its indications was adequate among the students, with more than 70% correct responses. However, one-fourth of the students needed to gain more knowledge about masks. Respiratory hygiene was poor among 24.8%. Nearly 40% of students were unaware of the management of patients with COVID-19. There is a need for regular quality training and institutional programs on infection control of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases across all Indian medical colleges to educate undergraduate medical students, who are future healthcare professionals, thus minimizing the risk of transmission and providing standardized care for patients.

Virtual Surgical Shadowing for Undergraduate Medical Students: A Pilot Program

Virtual Surgical Shadowing for Undergraduate Medical Students: A Pilot Program

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic and psychological resilience among undergraduate medical students

Pandemic always has negative impact on students in higher education. Especially when learning emphasises on hands-on experience. Due to movement The social distancing and online teaching during COVID-19 pandemic had impact on student learning, We aimed to assess the prevalence of anxiety, depression and resilience of medical students to COVID-19 related worries during pandemic.We conducted a cross-sectional study among 1200 undergraduate medical students. The survey questionnaires has six parts; demography information, modified version of COVID-19 related worries, the impact of COVID-19 in teaching and learning, resilience using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, generalized anxiety disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale & lastly patient health questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of GAD-7 was 0.930 and PHQ-2 was 0.811. We used multiple linear regression to determine the association between resilience and anxiety, depression, and COVID-19 related worries. All the statistical tests were two-sided, and the level of significance was set at 0.05. Most of the students showed a moderate amount of COVID-19 related worries about contracting, dying or unintentionally infecting others, having financial burden following pandemic, affecting their study. Around 32.8% of the medical students had minimal anxiety while 35.7% had mild, 14.1% had moderate and 17.4% had severe anxiety disorder. The mean resilience score was 23.1 (SD 7.3). There was statistically significant negative association between resilience and anxiety with regression coefficient of -0.36 (95% confidence interval -0.43 to -0.29), P<0.001. Female students had significantly higher anxiety (regression coefficient 2.03; 95% confidence interval 0.92 to 3.15; P<0.001) and COVID-19 related worries (regression coefficient 2.91; 95% confidence interval 1.48 to 4.35; P<0.001) than male students.A significant proportion of medical students experienced anxiety and depressive symptoms, with varying degrees of severity. We emphasize the need for targeted support and interventions to address anxiety, depression, and promote resilience.

Effectiveness of simulation-based clinical research curriculum for undergraduate medical students - a pre-post intervention study with external control

BackgroundSimulation is widely utilized in medical education. Exploring the effectiveness of high-fidelity simulation of clinical research within medical education may inform its integration into clinical research training curricula, finally cultivating physician-scientist development.MethodsStandard teaching scripts for both clinical trial and cross-sectional study simulation were designed. We recruited undergraduates majoring in clinical medicine at 3th grade into a pre-post intervention study. Additionally, a cross-sectional survey randomly selected medical undergraduates at 4th or 5th grade, medical students in master and doctor degree as external controls. Self-assessment scores of knowledge and practice were collected using a 5-point Likert scale. Changes in scores were tested by Wilcoxon signed-rank test and group comparisons were conducted by Dunn’s tests with multiple corrections. Multivariable quantile regressions were used to explore factors influencing the changes from baseline.ResultsSeventy-eight undergraduates involved the clinical trial simulation and reported improvement of 1.60 (95% CI, 1.48, 1.80, P < 0.001) in knowledge and 1.82 (95% CI, 1.64, 2.00, P < 0.001) in practice score. 83 undergraduates involved in the observational study simulation and reported improvement of 0.96 (95% CI, 0.79, 1.18, P < 0.001) in knowledge and 1.00 (95% CI, 0.79, 1.21, P < 0.001) in practice. All post-intervention scores were significantly higher than those of the three external control groups, P < 0.001. Higher agreement on the importance of clinical research were correlated with greater improvements in scores. Undergraduates in pre-post study showed high confidence in doing a future clinical research.ConclusionOur study provides evidence supporting the integration of simulation into clinical research curriculum for medical students. The importance of clinical research can be emphasized during training to enhance learning effect.

Core Competencies of an Anti-racist Physician: Elective Course for Undergraduate Medical Students

Core Competencies of an Anti-racist Physician: Elective Course for Undergraduate Medical Students

Perception of undergraduate medical students on the use of integrative and complementary practices

Perception of undergraduate medical students on the use of integrative and complementary practices

Neglected Spheno-orbital Meningioma Presenting with Unilateral Blindness

Sphenoorbital meningiomas (SOM) constitutes 9% of all intracranial meningiomas and are originated from sphenoid wing dura. They are also called en plaque meningioma. They cause hyperostosis of involved bone and their soft tissue growth may spread the orbit, the infratemporal fossa, and the temporal fossa. Most patients with SOM are middle- aged women and most commonly presents with unilateral, nonpulsating, progressive proptosis. Recently a woman with unilateral progressive proptosis from a remote area of Bangladesh presented to us with blindness of her left eye due to diagnostic delay. After thorough evaluation and imaging studies, she was diagnosed with a large spheno-orbital meningioma with extensive bony involvement of skull base and orbit. Objective: This report highlights the necessity of creating awareness among optometrists, undergraduate medical students as well as and ophthalmologists who are practicing in remote areas of Bangladesh about clinical presentation of sphenoorbital meningiomas which is a benign lesion but may be a cause of unilateral blindness if remain undiagnosed for long Bang. J Neurosurgery 2023; 13(1): 51-54

Exploring medical students’ experiences with indigenous patient care: a phenomenological study

ABSTRACT Background Indigenous Peoples in Canada bear a disproportionate burden of disease and experience poorer health outcomes as compared to non-Indigenous populations within Canada; these conditions are said to be mediated and exacerbated by pervasive and uninterrupted anti-Indigenous racism. Third and fourth-year medical students at a Canadian medical school were asked to reflect on their experiences working with Indigenous patients in clinical settings, and how their preclinical Indigenous health curriculum impacted these experiences. Method Phenomenology was used, guided by Goffman’s theory of social stigma. Eleven undergraduate medical students were recruited using purposeful sampling. Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of the participants’ experiences. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using the four main processes for phenomenological analysis. Results Four main themes emerged from students’ descriptions of clinical experiences involving Indigenous patients: 1) students describe how their Indigenous patients encounter the health care system and their own lack of cultural sensitivity in this context; 2) racism was evident in students’ clinical interactions with Indigenous patients, but students do not always perceive these biases nor the impact of this on patient care; 3) identifying the impact of racism on care is complicated by situational clinical encounters; and 4) practicality of preclinical Indigenous health education is desired by students to prepare them for working with Indigenous patients in the clinical setting. Conclusions In their clinical experiences, students witness racism against Indigenous peoples yet are unprepared to stand up against it. Findings highlight the importance of enhancing undergraduate medical training to allow students to better understand the unique experiences and perspectives of Indigenous patients. The results support the need for ongoing Indigenous health education, to foster culturally sensitive experiences while learning about Indigenous patients.

Flipped Classroom: An Innovative Teaching Model To Train Undergraduate Medical Students In Community Medicine

Flipped Classroom: An Innovative Teaching Model To Train Undergraduate Medical Students In Community Medicine

Perceptions of undergraduate medical students on artificial intelligence in medicine: mixed-methods survey study from Palestine

BackgroundThe current applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine continue to attract the attention of medical students. This study aimed to identify undergraduate medical students’ attitudes toward AI in medicine, explore present AI-related training opportunities, investigate the need for AI inclusion in medical curricula, and determine preferred methods for teaching AI curricula.MethodsThis study uses a mixed-method cross-sectional design, including a quantitative study and a qualitative study, targeting Palestinian undergraduate medical students in the academic year 2022–2023. In the quantitative part, we recruited a convenience sample of undergraduate medical students from universities in Palestine from June 15, 2022, to May 30, 2023. We collected data by using an online, well-structured, and self-administered questionnaire with 49 items. In the qualitative part, 15 undergraduate medical students were interviewed by trained researchers. Descriptive statistics and an inductive content analysis approach were used to analyze quantitative and qualitative data, respectively.ResultsFrom a total of 371 invitations sent, 362 responses were received (response rate = 97.5%), and 349 were included in the analysis. The mean age of participants was 20.38 ± 1.97, with 40.11% (140) in their second year of medical school. Most participants (268, 76.79%) did not receive formal education on AI before or during medical study. About two-thirds of students strongly agreed or agreed that AI would become common in the future (67.9%, 237) and would revolutionize medical fields (68.7%, 240). Participants stated that they had not previously acquired training in the use of AI in medicine during formal medical education (260, 74.5%), confirming a dire need to include AI training in medical curricula (247, 70.8%). Most participants (264, 75.7%) think that learning opportunities for AI in medicine have not been adequate; therefore, it is very important to study more about employing AI in medicine (228, 65.3%). Male students (3.15 ± 0.87) had higher perception scores than female students (2.81 ± 0.86) (p < 0.001). The main themes that resulted from the qualitative analysis of the interview questions were an absence of AI learning opportunities, the necessity of including AI in medical curricula, optimism towards the future of AI in medicine, and expected challenges related to AI in medical fields.ConclusionMedical students lack access to educational opportunities for AI in medicine; therefore, AI should be included in formal medical curricula in Palestine.

A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY TO ASSESS THE PATTERN OF SELF-MEDICATION USED FOR DIARRHEA AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS IN TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL OF CENTRAL INDIA

Objective: The objective of the study is to assess the drug usage pattern, personal hygiene, and sanitation practices among day scholars and hosteller medical students. Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted at MGM Medical College and M.Y. Hospital, Indore. Undergraduate and postgraduate medical students who experienced episodes of diarrhea in the past 6 months were included in the study. Diarrhea occurring due to organic causes was excluded. Data were collected using a Google or physical form and were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: 254 students who suffered from diarrhea in the past 6 months participated in the study, out of which 56% were hostellers. Commonly used drugs were ofloxacin, metronidazole, etc. 50.2% of them took self-medication; the majority of them were hostellers. Students were found to eat outside at least once a week. Personal hygiene and sanitation were more compromised among hostellers than day scholars. Conclusion: Personal hygiene and sanitation practices should be improved among medical students, especially hostel students. These students, despite being from medical backgrounds, still take irrational medication. Therefore, there is a need for increased awareness regarding drug usage, and self-medication should be discouraged.

Sleep quality and its correlates among undergraduate students of a medical school in North Karnataka, India

Background: Poor sleep quality is a global health concern and is fast becoming one of the silent epidemics. Sleep quality among medical students is of particular interest as they are considered high risk groups for developing sleep related issues because of their demanding schedules. This study aims to estimate the magnitude of poor sleep and its correlates among undergraduate medical students of a medical school in Belgaum, India. Methods: An institutional based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 293 undergraduate medical students using a self-administered questionnaire. Sleep quality was assessed using Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). The potential determinants of quality of sleep were identified using logistic regression. A p&lt;0.05 was considered statistically significant and adjusted odds ratio with 95%CI was used to present the strength of association. Results: The prevalence of poor sleep quality among medical students was 69.3%. Factors like gender, female students (AOR=2.381, 95%CI=1.359-4.172), being overweight or obese (AOR=2.499, 95%CI=1.297-4.817) were associated with poor sleep quality. Students with good sleep hygiene (AOR=0.415, 95%CI=0.231-0.745) and who did not use technology during bedtime (AOR=0.38, 95%CI=0.168-0.878) were less likely of having poor sleep quality at p&lt;0.05. Conclusions: Prevalence of poor sleep quality among substantial proportion of medical students in the current study is alarming. The already existing personal and professional development programme committee can conduct routine screening to assess sleep quality among students and focus on programmes to improve their sleep hygiene.

Learning approaches of undergraduate medical students at exit and entry of their medical schools.

Objective: To Compare the learning approaches of medical students at the exit and entry of their medical school, to evaluate the influence of gender and to look for factors leading students towards a change in their learning approach, if any, through interviews. Study Design: Concurrent Mixed Method study. Setting: Ameer-ud-deen Medical College, Lahore. Period: March 2021 to March 2022. Methods: Sequential mixed method 100 first year and 100 Final year MBBS students were included in the study for quantitative analysis. ASSIST Questionnaire is used for identifying student’s approach to studying as either deep, surface or strategic and the correlation of gender with preference of study approach. Descriptive statistics wer`e performed. Student’s t-test was used for statistical comparisons. Qualitative data was collected through in depth semi structured interviews of final year students. Thematic analysis was done to interpret the data and triangulation method was used for validation. Results: There is an over-all predominance of deep approach in the both first and final year MBBS students. The number of first-year students employing a strategic approach were significantly in majority as compared to final year students doing the same. No significant difference is seen in the learning approaches of male and female students. Interviews indicated reasons of shifting away from strategic learning approach in the final year medical students. No significant difference was seen in the selection of approach between female and male students of both groups. Conclusion: Study suggests that there is a predominance of deep approach in the medical students both at exit and entry points. This is due to their clinical exposure and environment, assessment methodologies, curriculum planning, seniors and peer pressure and most importantly their immediate teachers. The more we understand these learning styles, the better we can guide our future generations towards deep learning and improve their attitude and professional skills.

Learning Style Preferences Among Undergraduate Medical Students of Lahore, Pakistan and Factors Related to it

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the learning styles of medical students using the VARK Questionnaire and to study factors related to their learning style preferences. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study, using the validated 16-point VARK Questionnaire Version 8.01, was conducted among medical students in Lahore, Pakistan, from May to October 2023. Through non-probability virtual snowball sampling, 360 students from various medical colleges responded to online Google forms distributed via emails and WhatsApp groups. Data were entered, cleaned, and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 26. The Chi-square test determined associations between variables, with a significance level set at p &lt; 0.05. Results: The respondents had a mean age of 21.56±1.608. The study revealed that 68.9% preferred a unimodal learning style, with Visual (25%) being the most favored, followed by Read/Write (15.2%), Aural (14%), and Kinesthetic (13.5%).About 65% of respondents were unaware of their learning styles. No statistically significant relationships were found between learning style and gender, clinical year, schooling background, or institute type. However, significant relationships were found with age, academic performance, and preferred teaching methodology (p=0.05, p=0.04, and p=0.007, respectively). Conclusion: The present study highlighted the independence of learning styles from demographics. The identified relationship between learning styles, preferred teaching methodologies, and academic performance emphasizes the significance of this knowledge for medical educators and students in fostering lifelong learning. It's noteworthy that majority of students demonstrated unimodal sensory preferences, reinforcing the importance of tailored teaching strategies to maximize learning potential. Keywords: Learning, style, VARK, Medical Education, Teaching Methods, Medical Students

Oncology Education in Angola: Current Status and Recommendations for Improvement.

Angola, a country grappling with prevalent tropical diseases such as malaria, is witnessing an alarming rise in cancer-related deaths. Despite the escalating significance of cancer globally and in Angola, the nation's medical schools lack compulsory oncology disciplines in their curricula. This absence compromises the comprehensive training of medical students, preventing the development of integrated perspectives and skills crucial for addressing the growing cancer burden. This article, authored by the Angolan Oncology Research Group (AORG), proposes an oncology program for undergraduate medical students in Angola, aiming to bridge the educational gap. The program outlines discipline objectives, topics to be covered, class formats, and workload considerations.

COVID-19 lockdown and mental health status of undergraduate medical students, Egypt.

COVID-19 lockdown and mental health status of undergraduate medical students, Egypt.