Nguyen SN, Pham HT, Vu LT, Pham TX, Gottlieb B. Effectiveness of a New Clinical and Communication Curriculum for Medical Students: Result of a Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Educational Trial.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL EDUCATION AND CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT 2023;
10:23821205231175034. [PMID:
37187918 PMCID:
PMC10176548 DOI:
10.1177/23821205231175034]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
To improve 4 skills (communication, history-taking, past history-taking, and documentation) in medical students, we designed and pilot-tested a curriculum to teach a sample of Year 4 (Y4) students these skills and compared the clinical performance of these students with students not receiving the intervention.
METHODS
The study focused on the new curriculum's effectiveness in enhancing students' performance of these skills. To minimize exposure across groups, participants were divided into intervention and control groups at random and placed in various classrooms. We evaluated each group's clinical competency 3 times: prior to the intervention, 9 weeks afterward, and 2 years later.
RESULTS
There was no difference at baseline between the 2 groups. Immediately following the intervention, the mean score of the intervention group's skills was significantly higher than before and higher than the control group in each clinical skill. The performance difference between the 2 groups was maintained for 2 years following the intervention.
CONCLUSIONS
Following a 9-week curriculum, evaluators rated students' performance higher than their counterparts who learned these skills through standard informal exposure in the clinical setting. The fact that this performance advantage was maintained for 2 years following the intervention is a testament to the durability of the intervention and the value of dedicated training in these critical areas at an early point in students' clinical careers.
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