A study on the preference of teaching methods among medical undergraduate students in a tertiary care teaching hospital, India.

BACKGROUND: In medical education, the learning-teaching method is an active process in which both students and teachers have to work mutually to enlighten the knowledge. Currently, in India, there is an increase in the enrollment of students in medical fields and thus medical educators face the challenge of teaching larger classes in a short period. Furthermore, it is observed that there is a lack of consensus about the best teaching and learning methods for medical students. This study aims to assess the preference of teaching methods and identify the reason for absenteeism among medical undergraduate students in a tertiary care teaching hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 246 medical undergraduate students in a tertiary care teaching hospital from August 2019 to October 2019. A pretested, validated self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the preference of teaching methods. The data were analyzed using SPSS-IBM software 23. RESULTS: The majority of the students belonged to 20-21 years of age group. Most of the students preferred practical demonstration (81.3%) as the preferred method of teaching and computer with a liquid crystal display projector as ideal media for teaching (63.8%). Boring/monotonous teaching class was found (73.5%) to be an important cause for absenteeism among medical undergraduate students. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the medical student's preference is changing from passive learning to active learning. We conclude by linking these emerging perceptions with suggestions to help drive excellence in medical education.

Design of a Multi-Control Objective Rescue Mechanical Ventilation System (Linshomator).

In recent years, the need for a low-cost emergency ventilation system has increased unprecedentedly. Mechanical ventilation systems are widely used to cater to sudden oxygen demands, low breathing rates, and critical conditions during bradycardia and tachycardia. In this research, a new design of mechanical ventilation system synced with the tidal volume requirements of the patient using a piezoelectric belt has been proposed. The device proposed has various modes of ventilation-ACV (assisted controlled ventilation), SIMV (synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation), and NIV (non-invasive ventilation), depending on the patient's requirements. A digital interface or user-friendly software has also been developed to help medical professionals easily monitor a patient's medical conditions. Finally, the automation that controls the ventilation mechanism of the device has been tested and validated with a conventional ventilator, and it has been found that the accuracy of the device in terms of delivering the exact quantity of air into the patient according to his requirements has been improved significantly. Further, the comparative study of the experimental data indicated that 5-10% error in detecting inhale and exhale attempt of a patient was detected with the conventional ventilator.