Undergraduate Medical Studies Research Articles

Using ChatGPT in Psychiatry to Design Script Concordance Tests in Undergraduate Medical Education: Mixed Methods Study.

Undergraduate medical studies represent a wide range of learning opportunities served in the form of various teaching-learning modalities for medical learners. A clinical scenario is frequently used as a modality, followed by multiple-choice and open-ended questions among other learning and teaching methods. As such, script concordance tests (SCTs) can be used to promote a higher level of clinical reasoning. Recent technological developments have made generative artificial intelligence (AI)-based systems such as ChatGPT (OpenAI) available to assist clinician-educators in creating instructional materials. The main objective of this project is to explore how SCTs generated by ChatGPT compared to SCTs produced by clinical experts on 3 major elements: the scenario (stem), clinical questions, and expert opinion. This mixed method study evaluated 3 ChatGPT-generated SCTs with 3 expert-created SCTs using a predefined framework. Clinician-educators as well as resident doctors in psychiatry involved in undergraduate medical education in Quebec, Canada, evaluated via a web-based survey the 6 SCTs on 3 criteria: the scenario, clinical questions, and expert opinion. They were also asked to describe the strengths and weaknesses of the SCTs. A total of 102 respondents assessed the SCTs. There were no significant distinctions between the 2 types of SCTs concerning the scenario (P=.84), clinical questions (P=.99), and expert opinion (P=.07), as interpretated by the respondents. Indeed, respondents struggled to differentiate between ChatGPT- and expert-generated SCTs. ChatGPT showcased promise in expediting SCT design, aligning well with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition criteria, albeit with a tendency toward caricatured scenarios and simplistic content. This study is the first to concentrate on the design of SCTs supported by AI in a period where medicine is changing swiftly and where technologies generated from AI are expanding much faster. This study suggests that ChatGPT can be a valuable tool in creating educational materials, and further validation is essential to ensure educational efficacy and accuracy.

Faculty’s perception of their role as a tutor during Problem-Based Learning activity in undergraduate medical education

Introduction: The study aimed to ascertain how the faculty at the Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University perceived their role as a tutor during a problem-based learning activity during the academic phase of medical education, based on the length of time they acted as a tutor. Methods: This was prospective observational research with an explanatory sequential mixed-method design, which was performed at the Undergraduate Medical Study Program, Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, from January 2023 until May 2023. Research subjects were divided into two groups: a) the Novice group and b) the Expert group. Quantitative data were collected by giving a questionnaire containing six categories with 35 questions and distributed by Google form. An independent t-test was used to compare the faculty’s perception, with a p-value <.05 significant. Followed by Focus Group Discussion (FGD) for qualitative data, which then were analysed by thematic analysis. The last stage is integrating quantitative and qualitative data. Results: There were statistically significant differences in seven issues between the two groups. Most of the tutors in both groups had favorable opinions, except for the expert group's disagreement with the passive role of the tutor in the tutorial group. Eight positive and twelve negative perceptions were found in the FGD. Conclusion: Most tutors positively perceived their role in PBL, with the expert group having more dependable opinions and well-reasoned suggestions. Keywords: Problem-Based Learning, Undergraduate Medical Education, Focus Group Discussion

Description of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) Knowledge in PSSK Students of Medical Faculty Udayana University

Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is a group of visual and extraocular symptoms associated with the continuous use of visual display terminals caused by the use of devices with a long-time intensity. This study was conducted to determine the description of the knowledge of undergraduate medical students of the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University Class of 2020 regarding Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) and the complaints they feel. This study used a cross-sectional descriptive method in collecting data. The research subjects were selected using a simple random sampling technique, consisting of 83 students enrolled in the Undergraduate Medical Study Program, Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Class of 2020. Data collection was carried out by distributing quizzes online to assess knowledge about Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 27. The study found that 45 subjects (54.2%) had a good level of knowledge, 32 subjects (38.6%) had a sufficient level of knowledge, and 6 subjects (7.2%) had a poor level of knowledge. The description of the knowledge of undergraduate medical students of the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Class of 2020 regarding Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is mostly in the good category. Education through lectures, seminars or workshops needs to be carried out in order to increase awareness and the importance of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) and treatment efforts need to be implemented. Keywords: Computer Vision Syndrome, CVS, knowledge, medical students

Empowerment of PKK in Keliling Benteng Ulu Village, West Martapura District by Utilizing TOGA into an Instant Drink with Commercial Value

Keliling Benteng Ulu Village (KBU) in West Martapura Subdistrict, Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan, is an adopted village under the supervision of the Undergraduate Medical Study Program, Faculty of Medicine, Lambung Mangkurat University. Previously, they distributed TOGA plant seeds and conducted educational sessions on their benefits. In the current phase, five residents are selected for training in creating instant herbal drinks from TOGA plants, supported with necessary tools. The resulting herbal drink, named "Jamu WIRAS," is linked with the "KBU Sehat" SME group. After initial training on creating and packaging, participants will autonomously produce the drink, providing photo and video documentation. A WhatsApp group facilitates communication between the service team and SME group. The marketing involves the district-level Women's Welfare Organization's assistance and integration into various events.

Attitudes of Undergraduate Medical Students towards Personal and Professional Advancement (PPA): A Cross- sectional Study at School of Medicine, Maldives National University

Introduction: Personal and Professional Advancement module (PPA) is introduced in today’s updated medical school curriculum. The main purpose of PPA is to assess student’s personal growth and professional development. It emphasizes the importance of “hidden curriculum” as part of medical training. The success story of a modern-day physician center is substantially based on the knowledge of proper professional skills. PPA is introduced to achieve the general objective of producing medical doctors who are caring, holistic and professional in their approach. Therefore, it has become extremely important to start a professional skills course early on in undergraduate medical study, but to date, this has been given relatively little or no emphasis. In the present study, an attempt was made to assess the attitude of undergraduate medical students towards learning the PPD module
 Methods: A total of 130 undergraduate medical students at School of Medicine were included in the study. This study was based on an anonymous self-administered questionnaire on attitudes of undergraduate medical students towards personal and professional advancement module. The data were collected from all the batches of students. All participants (n=130) had completed the questionnaires completely, therefore, 100% of samples were included for data analysis. Data was coded and entered into Microsoft Excel software and analyzed using SPSS version 22.0
 Results: The content that was covered by the PPA sessions satisfied the needs of the 46.2% of students, 44.6% were not sure and 9.2% were not satisfied. The students seem to embrace the course better as they go into clinical practice.
 Conclusion: This study provides perceptions of undergraduate medical students towards PPA module learning. We suggest the integration of PPA module curriculum into the undergraduate medical syllabus, with an acceptable, focused, and interesting teaching module.

Workplace Based Assessments: The Innovation in Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical Studies

In traditional apprenticeship-training methods, students in health professions programs deal with real-world scenarios that test their knowledge and abilities like other physicians do.1 Assessment models must protect patients and give trainees contextual feedback2. Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), developed first by Ronald Harden while working at Dundee’s utilized in numerous teaching sectors for decades3. Assessments have limitations. Because of the nature of the stations, the doctor-patient encounter is generally broken down into its component parts, and the types of instances that can be repeated restrict patient concerns.4Many clinical lengthy case examination adjustments have been presented for viable answers. WPBA evaluates workplace clinical practices. It evaluates doctors' practices. WPBA evaluates clinical trainees and provides comments. WBA has made the switch from numbers-based experience to organized assessment possible5. The General Medical Council; UK & Royal Colleges use WPBA to evaluate postgraduate medical students. In undergraduate medical education, WPBA is becoming popular.

Putting nutrition education on the table: development of a curriculum to meet future doctors' needs.

COVID-19 has further exacerbated trends of widening health inequalities in the UK. Shockingly, the number of years of life lived in general good health differs by over 18 years between the most and least deprived areas of England. Poor diets and obesity are established major risk factors for chronic cardiometabolic diseases and cancer, as well as severe COVID-19. For doctors to provide the best care to their patients, there is an urgent need to improve nutrition education in undergraduate medical school training.With this imperative, the Association for Nutrition established an Interprofessional Working Group on Medical Education (AfN IPG) to develop a new, modern undergraduate nutrition curriculum for medical doctors. The AfN IPG brought together expertise from nutrition, dietetic and medical professionals, representing the National Health Service (NHS), royal colleges, medical schools and universities, government public health departments, learned societies, medical students, and nutrition educators. The curriculum was developed with the key objective of being implementable through integration with the current undergraduate training of medical doctors.Through an iterative and transparent consultative process, thirteen key nutritional competencies, to be achieved through mastery of eleven graduation fundamentals, were established. The curriculum to facilitate the achievement of these key competencies is divided into eight topic areas, each underpinned by a learning objective statement and teaching points detailing the knowledge and skills development required. The teaching points can be achieved through clinical teaching and a combination of facilitated learning activities and practical skill acquisition. Therefore, the nutrition curriculum enables mastery of these nutritional competencies in a way that will complement and strengthen medical students' achievement of the General Medical Council (GMC) Outcome for Graduates.As nutrition is an integrative science, the AfN IPG recommends that the curriculum is incorporated into initial undergraduate medical studies before specialist training. This will enable our future doctors to recognise how nutrition is related to multiple aspects of their training, from physiological systems to patient-centred care, and acquire a broad, inclusive understanding of health and disease. In addition, it will facilitate medical schools to embed nutrition learning opportunities within the core medical training, without the need to add in a large number of new components to an already crowded programme or with additional burden for teaching staff.The undergraduate nutrition curriculum for medical doctors is designed to support medical schools to create future doctors who will understand and recognise the role of nutrition in health. Moreover, it will equip frontline staff to feel empowered to raise nutrition-related issues with their patients as a fundamental part of enhanced care and to appropriately refer on for nutrition support with a registered associate nutritionist/registered nutritionist (ANutr/RNutr) or registered dietitian (RD) where this is likely to be beneficial.

Putting nutrition education on the table: development of a curriculum to meet future doctors’ needs

COVID-19 has further exacerbated trends of widening health inequalities in the UK. Shockingly, the number of years of life lived in general good health differs by over 18 years between...

Knowledge, attitude and behaviour of undergraduate medical students towards mentally Ill patients-Suez Canal University, Egypt

Background: Worldwide, studies show negative attitudes among medical students toward psychiatry and mental illness. The knowledge of the attitude and awareness of the undergraduate medical students toward mental health and psychiatric disorders are most important as they are going to be involved in the care of these patients either directly or indirectly during the years of their careers. Aim: To explore, the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of undergraduate medical students towards mentally ill Patients before their planned psychiatry rotation in the fourth year of undergraduate medical study, faculty of medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt. Objectives: To assess mental health-related knowledge, attitudes and intended behavior of undergraduate medical students towards mentally ill patients. Subjects and methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study, conducted on 120 fourth-year undergraduate medical students affiliated with the faculty of medicine-Suez Canal University. A comprehensive sample was used to include all of the students in the fourth year of undergraduate medical study, and the study group participants completed a semi-structured questionnaire including four parts to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral responses towards individuals with mental illnesses. The data of the study was collected in September-October 2019. Results: Based on the participants’ scores, the cut-off points estimated to dichotomize the responses as poor or good, for mental health-related knowledge, belief towards mental illness and intended behavior were, 17, 55 and 8.5 respectively. This study showed that the study participants had marginally poor mental health-related knowledge with a median score of 17, poor beliefs about mental illness with a median score of 49.5 and poor intended behavior towards the mentally ill with a median score of 7. Conclusion: In this study, undergraduate medical students showed marginally poor mental health-related knowledge, poor stigmatizing beliefs, and behavior towards mentally ill patients. More controlled studies are needed to eliminate the inherent response biases in survey studies and to measure the outcomes of anti-stigma educational and curricular interventions.

Motivational factors influencing undergraduate medical students' willingness to volunteer during an infectious disease pandemic in Saudi Arabia, a cross-sectional study.

Healthcare outbreaks, especially infectious disease pandemics, often stretch the healthcare systems to its limits. Healthcare systems have no option other than being supported by the participation of young and motivated healthcare providers (HCPs) in their undergraduate medical studies during their prevention and control internship program during the outbreak. Understanding key motivation factors influencing HCPs are vital to ensure their effective participation in such situations. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 410 undergraduate medical students at Qassim University in Saudi Arabia with the aim to describe the motivation factors that affect their willingness to volunteer during a pandemic. An online survey questionnaire was conducted. 410 participants of which 239 (58.29%) were female, 108 (26.34%) were in their third academic year and 129 (31.46%) were between 21-22 years of age. More than 70% of participants showed willingness to volunteer during a pandemic. Their willingness to volunteer was motivated by distance of workplace to home, availability of transportation, being vaccinated, access to health care for self and family if affected, and provision of specialized training. Healthcare administrators and policy makers need to address these factors effectively to ensure the availability of skilled and motivated healthcare providers during a pandemic.

Faculty and its Impact on Critical Thinking Abilities of Undergraduate Medical Students – A Delphi Study

Aim: To identify individual skills/attitude of faculty which influence fostering of critical thinking in undergraduate medical students Study Design: Modified Delphi Study Place and Duration of study: This study was carried out at University of Lahore from October 2018 to April 2019. Methodology: Delphi Study was used to develop consensus. Experts were MME/MHPE/ MCPS HPE qualified faculty members with 03 years of teaching experience. A draft questionnaire was developed on Google Forms after thorough literature review and sent to 05 experts for Pilot Study, construct validation and cognitive pretesting. A Wait Time of 04 weeks, rating of questions on 5 point Likert Scale and consensus criteria of 80% were defined before the start of study. SPSS 25 was used for data analysis. During 1st Round, draft questionnaire was amended in the light of opinion of experts to open ended questions and was sent to all the participants for their response. During 2nd Round, a new questionnaire was developed after data analysis and duly amended questionnaire was sent to the participants of Round 1. Results: A total of 27 experts were enrolled in the study. 17 experts (62.96%) responded during the first round. Consensus was achieved for 13 items (65%) out of 20. In the 2nd round, 15(88.23%) out of 17 responded. Consensus was achieved for all 7 items (100%). The study revealed that majority of our faculty lacks proper training and does not possess knowledge about various educational theories / principles and their application. They do not know how to act as facilitator, conduct tutorials, ask high order questions, reflect and provide constructive feedback. They do not give enough wait time to students after asking an open ended / higher order question. They are over committed with administrative work besides teaching. Conclusion: Individual skills / attitude of faculty hamper fostering of CT in undergraduate medical students. They are mainly due to lack of formal faculty training which should be addressed not only in the medical institutions but in the pre-medical schools as well to inculcate higher order critical thinking skills in students. Keywords: Critical Thinking (CT), Undergraduate Medical Students, Faculty, Reflections, Feedback

Faculty and its Impact on Critical Thinking Abilities of Undergraduate Medical Students – A Delphi Study

Aim: To identify the individual skills / attitude of faculty which influence fostering of critical thinking in undergraduate medical students Study design: Modified Delphi Study Place and Duration of study: This study was carried out at University of Lahore from October 2018 to April 2019. Methodology: Delphi Study was used to develop consensus. Experts were MME/MHPE/ MCPS HPE qualified faculty members with 03 years of teaching experience. A draft questionnaire was developed on Google Forms after thorough literature review and sent to 05 experts for Pilot Study, construct validation and cognitive pretesting. A Wait Time of 04 weeks, rating of questions on 5 point Likert Scale and consensus criteria of 80% were defined before the start of study. SPSS 25 was used for data analysis. During 1st Round, draft questionnaire was amended in the light of opinion of experts to open ended questions and was sent to all the participants for their response. Results: A total of 27 experts were enrolled in the study. 17 experts (62.96%) responded during the first round. Consensus was achieved for 13 items (65%) out of 20. In the 2nd round, 15 (88.23%) out of 17 responded. Consensus was achieved for all 7 items (100%). The study revealed that majority of our faculty lacks proper training and does not possess knowledge about various educational theories / principles and their application. They do not know how to act as facilitator, conduct tutorials, ask high order questions, reflect and provide constructive feedback. Conclusion: Individual skills / attitude of faculty hamper fostering of CT in undergraduate medical students. They are mainly due to lack of formal faculty training which should be addressed not only in the medical institutions but in the pre-medical schools as well to inculcate higher order critical thinking skills in students. Keywords: Critical Thinking (CT), Undergraduate Medical Students, Faculty, Reflections, Feedback

Recent medical graduates’ attitudes towards nutrition education and its role in medical practice

The objective of this study was to investigate recent Dalhousie Medical School graduates’ perceptions of nutrition in three domains: attitudes towards its use in medical practice generally, learned body of knowledge in medical school and residency, and satisfaction with how undergraduate and postgraduate medical education aligned their attitudes and knowledge of nutrition in medicine. Graduates of Dalhousie University’s undergraduate medical program from 2013 to 2018 were contacted to complete an internet-based questionnaire of 13 five-point Likert scale questions about attitudes, knowledge, and satisfaction with nutrition education in their undergraduate medical studies and medical practice. Responses ranged from one, “strongly disagree” to five, “strongly agree”. Most respondents (90.2%) agreed that ‘nutrition counseling can make a positive difference to patient outcomes’ and 80.5% agreed that ‘physicians can influence patient behavior related to nutrition’. However, fewer (61.0%) agreed that ‘physicians play a key role in improving patients’ nutritional habits.’ Even fewer participants agreed that nutritional assessment (34.1%) and nutritional counselling (41.5%) should be a routine part of care, regardless of specialty. The mean (standard deviation) overall score of participants with regards to their attitudes about nutrition assessment, counselling, and role in patient health, was 3.60 (0.633). Scores ranged from 1 to 5 with higher score indicating morepositive attitude. Mean overall knowledge and satisfaction scores were 3.76 (0.702) and 2.70 (0.898), respectively. There is a lack of consensus regarding the role of physicians in delivering nutrition care to patients, despite its perceived importance to patient health, requiring further exploration.

Relationship of Anxiety, Stress & Depression with Self Esteem Among Undergraduate Medical Students

Introduction: According to a recent study conducted by the Anxiety and depression Association of America seven out of 10 Joined together States adults claim to encounter push or uneasiness at least at a moderate level on every day premise. Whereas stress is an inevitable portion of life, it is exceptionally present and getting to be more prevalent among college students. In expansion to anxiety and stress, discouragement can also impact college life to such a degree that in-depth research is necessary in arrange to assist future students. Within the USA, nearly 10% of college students have been analyzed with, or treated for, depression over the past 12 months. However, only almost half of the individuals in America enduring from a diagnosed case of sadness are treated for the disorder. Past research on Anxiety, depression and self-esteem highlights that low self-esteem is related to higher levels of uneasiness, misery and stress. Be that as it may, this correlation has not been clearly illustrated in Pakistani young people especially medical students. Objective: To investigate the relationship of Anxiety, Stress & Depression with Self Esteem among undergraduate medical students Material and Methods Study design: Quantitative cross sectional Settings: Shahida Islam Medical College Lodhran Duration: Four months i.e. 1st January 2022 to 30th April 2022 Data Collection procedure: Cross sectional was conducted on 250 medical students. Data was collected by validated questionnaire. The depression, anxiety and stress scale (DASS) was used for the calculation of stress, anxiety and depression and Rosenberg self-esteem scale used to calculate the self-esteem. Data was collected after informed consent taken from students. The students who have been suffering any kind of diseases excluded from study. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22 for results. Results: The total number of medical students was 250 in which 105 were males and 145 females. Students selected from all levels of MBBS 42% males and 58% females. In table 2 regarding depression 60.4% students fall in normal, 23.6% fall in mild, 14% fall in moderate and 2% in severe category. As far Anxiety is concerned 52% students fall in normal, 22% fall in mild, 19.2% fall in moderate and 6.8% in severe category and for stress 56.8% students fall in normal, 26% fall in mild, 17.2% fall in moderate and 0% in severe category. Conclusion: The move to adulthood represents a high-risk period for the onset of depression generally young individuals who enter tertiary education may face modern social and mental challenges that will increase their chance of enduring sadness, uneasiness and stress. The high rates of depression, anxiety and stress among students have major suggestions. Not as it were will mental morbidity have adverse impacts on the student’s educational attainment and quality of life, but family life and institutional life may be disrupted. Change of these, as well as arrangement of mental wellbeing facilities and mindfulness to medical students may make strides the self-esteem, stress administration as well as mental trouble among medical students. Keywords: Anxiety, Depression, Stress, Self Esteem, Mental health, Students.

Correlation of Eating Habits and Physical Activity with BMI

Introduction: As life changes and gets to be more developed there are a lot of wellbeing issues and illnesses immerge. One of these major wellbeing issues is weight. About 20–40% of adult and 10–20% of children around the world are obese. Overweight and weight are characterized as abnormal or excessive fat aggregation which will impair health. Body mass index (BMI) is utilized to classify overweight and weight in grown-ups. It is person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of his height in meters (kg/m2). Calculated BMI greater than or rise to to 25 is considered overweight; whereas weight is considered when BMI is equal or more than 30. Objective: To determine the levels of physical activity and patterns of dietary habits and their associations with BMI among the undergraduate medical students Material and Methods Study design: Quantitative cross sectional Settings: Rawalpindi Medical University Rawalpindi Duration: Four months i.e. 1st January 2022 to 30th April 2022 Data Collection procedure: Cross sectional was conducted on 200 medical students. Data was collected by validated questionnaire. Stratifies random sampling was done. Physical activity was calculated by International physical activity questionnaire and three factors eating were used to calculate the eating patterns of medical students. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 22. Means standard deviation and percentages were calculated. Correlation between BMI and Physical activity and eating patterns were analyzed. P value was significant <0.005 Results: As far the results the total number of medical students was 200 in which 92 were males and 108 females. Students selected from all levels of MBBS. The prevalence regarding obesity among the medical students was 7.5%; overweight 12.5% and 10% was under weight. There was no significant relationship between BMI level and physical activity however the relation is significant between BMI and eating patterns (P= 0.01) Conclusion: In conclusion, low physical movement level and unhealthy eating patterns among medical study empowers implementation of wellbeing instruction programs about obesity and risk components among medical students. Extracurricular physical sports and activities ought to be executed by the organizations to empower students to be more physically dynamic in specific among female students. Keywords: Obesity, Eating patterns, Physical activity, BMI, Medical Students

Shattering Glass Ceilings: Three Black Women Surgeons Ascend to Chairs of Departments of Surgery.

Shattering Glass Ceilings: Three Black Women Surgeons Ascend to Chairs of Departments of Surgery.

PERCEPTIONS OF POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS ABOUT PATIENT SAFETY AS PART OF THE CURRICULUM AT UNDERGRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE LEVEL


 Objective: To explore their perception how patient safety is being addressed in undergraduate and post graduate medical curriculum
 
 Methods: This was descriptive survey; using the universal sampling technique a questionnaire based survey was conducted with 80 post graduate residentss in two selected tertiary care hospitals to determine their attitude towards the patient’s safety measures. A tested questionnaire was used to collected data. Descriptive statistics were obtained by using SPSS software version 20.
 
 Results: out of total 80 participants 16% were female and 84% were male having clinical experience ranged from 2-5 years. Regarding the attitude varying responses were reported. 17(21.3%) were strongly agreed that Making errors in medicine is inevitable, similarly 52(65%) were also strongly agreed that consciousness after encountering with error could reduce the occurrence. 29(36.3%) were strongly agreed that Competent physicians do not make medical errors, regarding morality 55(68.8%) were strongly agrees the patient safety is our moral responsibility. however they indicated that there is lack of proper reporting system which act as barrier. Less than half of the participants were in support of routinely report medical errors. 58(72.5%) reported with disagreement regarding reporting the medical error. The document review shows that there is no specific slot delegated to the patient safety measure in the curriculum of Postgraduate as well as undergraduate medical curriculum however they has addressed the topic indirectly to some extent.
 
 Conclusion: It is concluded that the participants (Trainees medical officers) had positive attitude towards the patient safety. Although they are aware about patient safety however has varying interpretations depending upon the case and situation. The medical errors being inevitable aspects is broadly associated with; the human factor, system and management factors which have further multi-facets linkages, contributing to medical error. The main reason for the patient safety concerns is due to the gap between what WHO recommended about patient safety and the curricular contents of undergraduate and postgraduate medical studies in Pakistan

Exploring the level of academic procrastination and possible coping strategies among medical students.

To identify the level of procrastination in undergraduate medical students and to explore the coping strategies adopted by low procrastinators to overcome the tendency. The mixed method, sequential explanatory study was conducted at the Islamic International Medical College, Riphah International University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from April to September 2019, and comprised medical students from preclinical first, second and third years of the academic programme. The pre-validated Academic Procrastination Scale was used to assess the prevalence and level of procrastination in the subjects, followed by semi-structured interviews with students having low level of procrastination to explore the coping strategies used by them to beat the negative habit. Data was analysed using SPSS 21 and was further subjected to manual thematic analysis. Of the 255 subjects, 85(33.3%) each were in the first, second and third year of undergraduate medical studies. Overall, the level of procrastination was high in 134(52.5%) students and low in 121(47.5%). The low procrastinators were 43(51%) in the 1st year, 46(54%) in the 2nd year and 45(53%) in the 3rd year. On the basis of interview-based data, 10 coping strategies were identified: time management, self-regulation, establishment of priorities, self-reward, goal-setting, conducive learning environment, self-reminders, task management, self-evaluation and self- monitoring. Procrastination is a behavioural disorder and is prevalent in undergraduate medical students, but it can be effectively treated through effective coping strategies.

Determination of Difficulty Index in End of Block Examinations of Preclinical Undergraduate Medical Students

Background: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) are considered a good choice for undergraduate formative assessment as they have higher reliability and are generally feasible. The objective of this study was to evaluate the difficulty index of Multiple-Choice Questions in the end of block examination of preclinical undergraduate medical students at Rawalpindi Medical University.
 Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Rawalpindi Medical University. End of Block assessment data was collected from Department of Medical Education, RMU. A total of 60 MCQs scores were randomly selected and the difficulty index was calculated after entering data in MS Excel. Data was then entered in SPSS version 24. Means and standard deviations of Difficulty indices were calculated and compared between first-year and second-year students by independent samples students t-test and between subjects by ANOVA.
 Results: Out of 120 Multiple Choice Items analyzed, in the first year MBBS block exam, 30% were easy, 65% were acceptable and 5% were difficult. In the second year MBBS block exam, 36.67% were easy, 56.67% were acceptable and 6.67% were difficult. There was no significant difference (p=0.986) between the mean difficulty index of first-year MBBS students and second-year MBBS students. However, the mean difficulty index was highest in physiology (66.53 ± 16.262) followed by biochemistry (64.36 ± 16.756) and anatomy (54.80 ± 17.665), and the mean difference between the subjects was statistically significant (p=0.005). The mean difficulty index in first-year MBBS students was highest for Biochemistry followed by Physiology and Anatomy. In second-year MBBS students, the mean difficulty index was highest in Physiology followed by Biochemistry and Anatomy.
 Conclusion: The difficulty index of Anatomy MCQs was lower indicating that the students find them more difficult than the other two subjects i.e., Physiology and Biochemistry in the first two years of their undergraduate medical studies.
 
 

Effectiveness of a Short Course on Undergraduate Medical Students' Acquisition of Basic Ultrasound Skills: Findings from a Saudi University.

Background:Medical schools in Saudi Arabia generally do not integrate ultrasound training in undergraduate medical study despite its widespread use.Objective:To determine the efficiency of a short course in acquiring basic ultrasound skills at the undergraduate medical level.Subjects and Methods:Fourth-year medical students of Jazan University (2016/2017; N = 118) were divided into 13 groups. A radiology expert provided each group with a 50-min lecture on “ultrasound in clinical practice” and a 2-h hands-on ultrasound training session. Then, the students were invited to participate in the study by completing a questionnaire eliciting data regarding their opinion, experiences, and satisfaction level for the session and then undertaking skill assessment using two OSCE stations.Results:Eighty-one students (68.6%) were enrolled in the study (male: 42; female: 39). The mean scores were high for handling the probe (4.33 ± 1.01) and identifying kidney (4.46 ± 1.08) and liver (4.22 ± 0.97), and moderate for identifying spleen (3.89 ± 0.75), aorta (3.35 ± 0.44), and hepatorenal pouch (3.05 ± 0.35). The students were highly satisfied with the course (4.37 ± 1.01). In the first OSCE station that assessed ultrasound techniques, the mean score was 14.96 (of 18 points; 83.11%) for males and 15.40 (85.56%) for females. In the second station that used static ultrasound image with common pathology, the mean score was 2.4 (of 2.5 points) for both males and females.Conclusion:Undergraduate medical students in this study gained adequate skills and satisfaction in terms of using ultrasound and identifying anatomy following the short course. This study highlights the benefits of introducing programs dedicated to ultrasound for undergraduate medical students in Saudi Arabia.