Impact of an Assessment‑Based Training Module on Communication Skills in Phase I Indian Medical Undergraduates

Introduction:Good communication skills (CSs) are not only the crux of a good doctor–patient relationship but also the foundation over which any human relationship is based. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of training on CS in Phase I MBBS students in a Government Medical College in West Bengal, India. MaterialsandMethods: One hundred and eighty‑four Phase I medical students were trained on how to communicate properly with their peers, seniors, teachers, college authorities, department staff, patient relatives, and other health professionals. Each participant underwent a set of three assessments (presession, postsession, and late postsession) for both knowledge and skills in CS. After postsession assessment, feedback by the faculties and peers was provided and reflections were obtained from the participants. A prevalidated questionnaire and Gap‑Kalamazoo CS Assessment Form (with some modification) were used for knowledge and skill’s assessment, respectively. At the end of the module, feedback was collected from the participants. Data were tabulated and results were compared and interpreted. Results: Mean score and standard deviation for knowledge assessment were 5.29 ±1.35, 9 ±1.20 and 8.55 ±0.97 in T1, T2, and T3 and for skills’ score were 17.78 ±4.89, 26.32 ±5.04 and 30.77 ±3.66 in SA1, SA2, and SA3, respectively. Most participants showed improvement in T2 with mean improvement score (T2–T1) of 79.57 ±47.25 and mean retention score (T3–T1) of 71.9 ±47.84. About 52% of participants showed deterioration in T3 with late deterioration score (T3–T2) of−4.06±11.42. 33% showed no change in knowledge, i.e., they retained their improvements, whereas 15% showed further improvement. Fifty‑two percent of participants showed skills’ improvement by scores of 7–12, 43% showed retention by 13–18, and late deterioration was shown by 82%, their scores dropped by 0–6. Conclusion: The training module was successfully implemented, and participants appreciated this type of participant centric assessment‑based teaching learning module. They learned about the effective ways of communication in a fun manner and were determined to apply all that they have learned

Preparedness of Phase 1 MBBS Students for Self-directed Learning Process

Self-directed learning is important for MBBS students to prepare themselves as lifelong learner. But a “spoonfed” school student needs to be sufficiently prepared to learn by SDL. In this study, the ability of the students to learn by SDL is measured along with evaluation of the reliability of as “Self-Directed Learning Instrument” (SDLI) as measuring tool. All willing students of the 1st phase MBBS curriculum (Batch 2020-21) were given a 20-item questionnaire known as “Self-directed Learning Instrument” (SDLI) to evaluate their learning abilities by SDL. A higher level of SDL is indicated by a higher score. A total of 247 students were included in the study. The result shows that students have poorest ability in Planning and Implementation domain (Mean: 3.9, variance: 0.26) whereas they are strongly motivated (Mean:4.3, variance: 0.37). SDLI score revealed that only 6 students need special care from faculties. Some (n = 81) needed observation and monitoring whereas majority of students (160, 64.8%) were supposed to be able to learn of their own. The method was found to be reliable as Cronbach’s alpha for all domains were over 0.70. The students with poor ability to learn by themselves can be identified in the very beginning of the session who can be given special attention and facilitated to grow as lifelong learner.

Effectiveness of Self-directed Learning to Teach Biochemistry in Phase 1 MBBS Students

The effectiveness of introducing Self-directed Learning (SDL) activity in teaching Biochemistry in Phase 1 MBBS Students was studied by measuring learning gain before and after SDL session. The SDL sessions were conducted among 3 groups of Students (Group A, n = 88; group B, n = 66 and Group C, n = 46; Total, n = 200) according to their learning needs. SDL was found to improve test scores significantly in all three groups. The perception of the Undergraduate Medical Students on SDL was also collated in this study by close ended question (in Likert scale) and open-ended questions. Perception analysis showed that majority of the Students agreed that SDL sessions are beneficial and interesting. However, thematic analysis showed that most of the Students considered SDL to be more time consuming. The questions were found to be reliable in present setting by calculating Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (0.893). It seems to be essential to find out the topics where students need special guidance and which topics will be chosen for SDL.

Human seminal plasma nitric oxide: Correlation with sperm morphology and sperm count.

It has been proposed that nitric oxide plays an important role in male infertility. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of seminal plasma levels of nitric oxide (NO) with sperm morphology and concentration. Specimens were divided into groups: according to sperm count into normozoospermia (n=68) and oligozoospermia (n=48); according to sperm morphology into normal and abnormal morphology. NO activity was measured by Cortas and Winkind method utilising UV spectrophotometer. Mean NO concentrations in micromol/L were 35.27±12.14, 45.34±13.47 in normozoospermic and oligozoospermic group respectively. Mean NO concentrations in micromol/L were 36.75±11.58 and 46.79±11.58 in normal and abnormal morphology respectively. There was negative correlation between NO concentrations with sperm concentration and sperm morphology (%). This study suggests a possible role of NO in pathophysiology of male infertility.