Intervención para el aprendizaje en clases didácticas prolongadas de asignaturas clínicas / Intervention for learning in lengthened didactic lessons of clinical subjects

Introducción: las clases didácticas o magistrales son utilizadas frecuentemente en educación médica, aunque se sabe que la atención de los estudiantes disminuye progresivamente y la retención de la información es limitada. Las clases interactivas reducen estos inconvenientes, pero su efecto sólo se ha evaluado en clases de una hora o menos de duración y predominantemente en el ciclo básico de medicina. Objetivo: evaluar la intervención implementada para el alcance de un mayor aprendizaje en clases didácticas prolongadas de asignaturas clínicas. Método: la intervención se realizó en un módulo educativo del ciclo clínico de la carrera de medicina de una universidad privada chilena. Participaron 60 estudiantes de 5to año. Las clases de la unidad intervenida se impartieron en 4 h académicas sucesivas de 45 min cada una. Al inicio de cada clase, los estudiantes respondieron un cuestionario con sentencias en formato verdadero o falso referidas a los objetivos centrales de cada temática. Las clases se estructuraron con el método clásico y el estilo docente predominante fue proveedor visual de información. La evaluación se realizó después de 3 meses mediante un test de conocimientos con 40 preguntas de opción múltiple (11 de cardiología). Se incluyó una selección de sentencias de verdadero y falso de aquellas utilizadas durante las clases y una encuesta de satisfacción en formato Likert. Además, se aplicó una escala diferencial semántica para recolectar información sobre las clases de las demás unidades con el propósito de controlar el efecto halo atribuido a preferencias de docentes participantes. Resultados: el promedio de las calificaciones en las preguntas de cardiología del test de conocimientos fue significativamente superior al promedio de las otras unidades de geriatría [t(59)=-28,3; p< 0,001]. El porcentaje promedio de aciertos del post-test fue 45,2 por ciento superior al pretest [t(59)= -24,9; p< 0,001]. La metodología fue bien evaluada: 100 por ciento de estudiantes estimó que mantuvo su atención durante las clases. La apreciación de las clases impartidas por los diferentes docentes del módulo de geriatría fue positiva, sin diferencias entre ellos. Conclusiones: el uso de cuestionarios con sentencias de verdadero y falso, referidas a los objetivos educacionales, antes de cada sesión de clases prolongadas es una estrategia que permite mantener la atención de los estudiantes y favorece el rendimiento cognitivo en asignaturas clínicas del pregrado de Medicina(AU)

Introduction: didactic or master classes are frequently used in medical education, although the students' attention is known to decrease progressively and information retention is limited. Interactive classes reduce these disadvantages, but their effect has only been evaluated in one-hour or less lessons and predominantly during the basic medical cycle. Objective: to evaluate the intervention implemented for attaining greater knowledge in extended didactic classes on clinical subjects. Method: the intervention was carried out in an educational module of the clinical cycle of the medical major of a Chilean private university. Sixty fifth-year students participated. The lessons of the intervened unit were taught in four consecutive academic hours of 45 minutes each. At the beginning of each lesson, the students answered a questionnaire with statements for the true/false format and referring the central objectives of each subject. The lessons were structured with the classical method and the predominant teaching style was visual information provider. The evaluation was carried out after 3 months through a knowledge test with 40 multiple-choice questions (11 about cardiology). It included a selection of true/false statements from those used during the lessons and a satisfaction survey in the Likert format. In addition, a differential semantic scale was applied to collect information about the lessons of the other units with aim at controlling the halo effect attributed to the preferences of participating teachers. Results: the average of the scores in the cardiology questions of the knowledge test was significantly higher than the average of the other geriatric units (t (59)= -28.3, p< 0.001). The average percentage of correct answers in the post-test was 45.2 percent, higher than the pretest (t (59)= -24.9, p< 0.001). The methodology was evaluated well: 100 percent of students considered that they kept their attention during the lessons. The appreciation of the lessons given by the different teachers of the geriatric module was positive, without differences between them. Conclusions: the use of questionnaires with true/false statements and referring the educational objectives, before each session of extended lessons, is a strategy that allows to keep the students' attention and favors the cognitive performance in undergraduate medical-clinical subjects(AU)

Experiencia interdisciplinaria para el diseño de productos para la salud / Interdisciplinary experience for the design of health care products

Background: Training of innovative health professionals is necessary for the development of an effective health system in a limited resources context. However, the professionals underestimate their innovative role and receive sparse training in this issue. Meanwhile, industrial designers are trained to innovate but have a weak knowledge about health issues. Aim: To describe the outcomes of a study based on Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) where health and industrial design students learned about product development aimed to solve health problems. Material and Methods: Twenty industrial design students, seven health care students and nine teachers of both disciplines participated in a User Centered Design workshop. Using the CBL method, they were challenged to develop products to tackle a health problem. At the end of the challenge, teachers and students evaluated the products using a semantic differential method and answered a questionnaire assessing the activity. Results: In the semantic differential method, all participants evaluated usefulness, functionality and organization of the product rather than its originality. The greatest discrepancies in evaluation were found between design and health teachers. Students positively evaluated the challenge, although the weakest point was its coordination. Conclusions: CBL and interdisciplinary work are adequate tools for the development of innovative competences, as well as understanding the central elements of innovation.

¿Cómo han cambiado los estudiantes que ingresan a medicina? Aprendizaje autodirigido y antecedentes académicos de las cohortes 2010 a 2014 de una universidad tradicional / Self-directed learning and academic background of 2010 to 2014 cohorts of medical students

Background: The widespread growth of higher education is increasing the heterogeneity of university students in terms of socioeconomic characteristics, academic story and cultural background. Medical schools are not an exception of this phenomenon. Aim: To compare the academic background and self-directed learning behavior of students who entered to a public medial school between 2010 and 2014. Material and Methods: A non-probabilistic sample of 527 medical students aged between 17 and 29 years (60% men), was studied. Their academic information was collected from the University data base; they answered the Self-directed learning readiness scale of Fisher. Results: Students from the 2014 cohort had higher high school grades than their counterparts. The scores in mathematics of the Scholarship Aptitude Test (SAT) were higher in the cohorts of 2010 and 2011. Those of the sciences test were superior in the 2013 cohort. The 2014 cohort had the lower general score of self-directed learning behaviors. Conclusions: The lower SAT and self-directed learning scores of the students entering medical school in 2014, indicate the progressive increase in the heterogeneity of Medical students.