Evaluation of Early Clinical Exposure through Vertical Integration- First Year MBBS Student's Perception

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Traditional medical curriculum has developed an insurmountable barrier between preclinical and clinical subjects, undermining the significance of basic sciences in clinical contexts. Early Clinical Exposure (ECE) is one such innovative vertical integrated teaching tool which breaks the barrier between basic science learning in preclinical traditional class room and clinical setting. Aims: To assess usefulness to the ECE through vertical integration among medical undergraduate first year MBBS students. To evaluate the perceptions of the medical undergraduate students about the ECE through vertical integration as effective tool of memory retention and skill communication development. Materials and method: It was interventional cross-sectional study in which 250 first year MBBS students had enrolled after taking informed consent, on topic acid base balance and imbalance as basic science correlation conducted in Department of Biochemistry in collaboration with Clinical Departments of General Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Paediatrics. Usefulness of ECE as vertical integration assessed by providing pre-test after traditional class room teaching. Post-test was conducted after ECE session. A validated questionnaire was administered through Google form link among phase I medical students of batch 2019 to 2020 after ECE session. Post session feedback from the students was taken by questionnaire graded on likert's scale. Results: The difference between the mean value of the marks obtained by the pre-test compared with post-test using the MCQ assessment tools was found to be statistically significant (p value being <0.05). One hundred and eighty eight students out of the two hundred and fifty answered the questionnaire (97.6%). The dependability of the scale was 0.50 (Cronbach's alpha -0.5). 98.8% students agreed that ECE as an integrated teaching helped in the retention and acquisition of skill /communication of the basic science knowledge to health and disease. Vertical integration was strongly agreed upon as the best method of teaching and learning by 97.6 % on likert scale. Conclusion: Thus, ECE through vertical integration showed efficient new teaching learning method which had positive influence in retaining knowledge and simultaneous gaining of skills. This method will be very useful in its practical implementation during online classes for ECE module in the threat of COVID-19 situation as well.