Introducing problem - based learing in a medical school with traditional / conventional curriculum

ABSTRACT

Globally, over the last two decades, medical education and its learning strategies are being made more prone to problem-solving in order to produce better clinicians. The medical curriculum has not changed in Pakistan since its inception and that is reflected in the form of inadequacies in health delivery system. There is a dire need of creating relevance between medical education / training and medical practice in order to introduce an effective health care system. This study is particularly aimed at evaluating the effect of problem-based learning [PBL] in a group of students accustomed to conventional teaching and to assess any change in students' attitudes/learning abilities after repeated PBL interventions. Design: An interventional study. Subjects and Response of 32 students of fourth year MBBS of Karachi Medical and Dental College was recorded against two PBL exercises in September 2002. A significant change in the study trend and analytical ability [p < 003] was shown in the two PBL sessions. The students who liked PBL were 33% more prone to practice group-study [OR = 1.33 and 95% CI=1.28, 1.39] than those who preferred other modalities of teaching. The final professional grades of these students were significantly higher than those in the previous years [p < 0.000]. A strong association between liking for PBL and group study was found and the analytical performance and thought process of students were significantly improved after the second PBL session