MyMedR

Fulltext Quality assurance in education: perception of undergraduate health professions students in a Malaysian university

Er HM, Nadarajah VD, Ng SH, Wong AN

Korean J Med Educ, 2020 Sep;32(3):185-195.

PMID: 32723985 DOI: 10.3946/kjme.2020.166

PURPOSE: Direct student involvement in quality processes in education has been suggested to encourage shared responsibilities among faculty and students. The objectives of this study were to explore undergraduate health professions students' understanding of quality assurance (QA) in education, and identify the challenges and enablers for student involvement in an Asian context.

METHODS: Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted among medical, dentistry, and pharmacy students in a Malaysian University. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed to understand the students' perspectives of QA in education.

RESULTS: The participants recognized the importance of QA towards ensuring the quality of their training, which will consequently impact their work readiness, employability, and quality of healthcare services. Academic governance, curriculum structure, content and delivery, faculty and student quality, teaching facilities, and learning resources were indicated as the QA areas. The challenges for students' involvement included students' attitude, maturity, and cultural barrier. To enhance their buy-in, clear objectives and impact, efficient QA mechanism, and recognition of students' contribution had been suggested.

CONCLUSION: The findings of this study support student-faculty partnership in QA processes and decision making.

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards

Academic staff perspectives on delivering a shared undergraduate medical module on three transnational campuses: Practical considerations and lessons learned

Morgan MP, Thomas W, Rashid-Doubell F

Med Teach, 2020 01;42(1):36-38.

PMID: 31411913 DOI: 10.1080/0142159X.2019.1649380

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) was among the first medical institutions to establish a global education community which now provides high-quality transnational health professions education aligned across three locations: Europe, the Middle East and South-East Asia. The successful implementation of a shared modularized curriculum in this context can be complex and challenging. Here we describe our insights, gained from a decade of working together as shared module Academic Leads to deliver a system-based medical module to an international student cohort. The themes covered are some of the areas where we consider our joint deliberations have led to improved outcomes for the delivery and assessment of the module, which may be helpful to academic staff embarking on similar module sharing experiences.

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards

Fulltext Comparative assessment of students' performance and perceptions on objective structured practical models in undergraduate pathology teaching

Htwe TT, Ismail SB, Low GK

Singapore Med J, 2014 Sep;55(9):502-5.

PMID: 25273936

INTRODUCTION: Assessment is an important factor that drives student learning, as students tend to mainly focus on the material to be assessed. The current practice in teaching pathology extensively applies objective-structured practical examination for the assessment of students. As students will have to deal with real patients during clinical years, it is preferred that students learn and practise via potted specimens and slides instead of picture plates. This study aimed to assess the preferred assesment method of pathology practical exercises.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey carried out in two consecutive batches of Phase 2 medical students. Student competency was assessed using both the traditional (TD) (i.e. use of potted specimens and slides) and picture plate (PP) methods. To compare the two assessment methods, we compared the mean scores obtained by the students and examined student perception of the two methods.

RESULTS: The mean scores obtained via the PP method were significantly higher than those obtained via the TD method for almost all the components tested.

CONCLUSION: We found that students performed significantly better (p < 0.05) when assessed using the PP method instead of the TD method. PP preparations might provide better visuals, thus aiding understanding, than the TD method. The findings of this study are valuable in identifying and improving our current teaching and assessment methods of medical students, in line with advancements in information technology.

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards*

Fulltext Assessors for communication skills: SPs or healthcare professionals?

Liew SC, Dutta S, Sidhu JK, De-Alwis R, Chen N, Sow CF, et al.

Med Teach, 2014 Jul;36(7):626-31.

PMID: 24787534 DOI: 10.3109/0142159X.2014.899689

The complexity of modern medicine creates more challenges for teaching and assessment of communication skills in undergraduate medical programme. This research was conducted to study the level of communication skills among undergraduate medical students and to determine the difference between simulated patients and clinical instructors' assessment of communication skills.

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards*

Fulltext Assessing undergraduate competence in evidence based medicine: a preliminary study on the correlation between two objective instruments

Lai NM, Teng CL, Nalliah S

Educ Health (Abingdon), 2012 Jul;25(1):33-9.

PMID: 23787382

CONTEXT: The Fresno test and the Berlin Questionnaire are two validated instruments for objectively assessing competence in evidence-based medicine (EBM). Although both instruments purport to assess a comprehensive range of EBM knowledge, they differ in their formats. We undertook a preliminary study using the adapted version of the two instruments to assess their correlations when administered to medical students. The adaptations were made mainly to simplify the presentation for our undergraduate students while preserving the contents that were assessed.
METHODS: We recruited final-year students from a Malaysian medical school from September 2006 to August 2007. The students received a structured EBM training program within their curriculum. They took the two instruments concurrently, midway through their final six months of training. We determined the correlations using either the Pearson's or Spearman's correlation depending on the data distribution.
RESULTS: Of the 120 students invited, 72 (60.0%) participated in the study. The adapted Fresno test and the Berlin Questionnaire had a Cronbach's alfa of 0.66 and 0.70, respectively. Inter-rater correlation (r) of the adapted Fresno test was 0.9. The students scored 45.4% on average [standard deviation (SD) 10.1] on the Fresno test and 44.7% (SD 14.9) on the Berlin Questionnaire (P = 0.7). The overall correlation between the two instruments was poor (r = 0.2, 95% confidence interval: -0.07 to 0.42, P = 0.08), and correlations remained poor between items assessing the same EBM domains (r = 0.01-0.2, P = 0.07-0.9).
DISCUSSION: The adapted versions of the Fresno test and the Berlin Questionnaire correlated poorly when administered to medical students. The two instruments may not be used interchangeably to assess undergraduate competence in EBM.

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards*

Fulltext Views of Malaysian interns and their supervisors on the adequacy of undergraduate clinical skills training

Chan SC

Singapore Med J, 2012 Mar;53(3):196-202.

PMID: 22434295

This study aimed to determine the views of Malaysian interns and their supervisors on whether undergraduate clinical skills training adequately equipped them for internship and their suggestions for improvement.

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards*

Fulltext Dysfunctional problem-based learning curricula: resolving the problem

Lim WK

BMC Med Educ, 2012;12:89.

PMID: 23009729 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6920-12-89

Problem-based learning (PBL) has become the most significant innovation in medical education of the past 40 years. In contrast to exam-centered, lecture-based conventional curricula, PBL is a comprehensive curricular strategy that fosters student-centred learning and the skills desired in physicians. The rapid spread of PBL has produced many variants. One of the most common is 'hybrid PBL' where conventional teaching methods are implemented alongside PBL. This paper contends that the mixing of these two opposing educational philosophies can undermine PBL and nullify its positive benefits. Schools using hybrid PBL and lacking medical education expertise may end up with a dysfunctional curriculum worse off than the traditional approach.

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards

Psychometric properties of DREEM in a sample of Malaysian medical students

Yusoff MS

Med Teach, 2012;34(7):595-6.

PMID: 22489970 DOI: 10.3109/0142159X.2012.675104

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards*

Experiences from a medical students' well-being workshop

Yusoff MS, Rahim AF

Med Educ, 2009 Nov;43(11):1108-9.

PMID: 19874520 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2009.03474.x

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards*

The BigSib students' peer group mentoring programme

Yusoff MS, Rahim AF, Noor AR, Yaacob NA, Hussin ZA

Med Educ, 2009 Nov;43(11):1106.

PMID: 19874517 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2009.03459.x

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards

An innovative method of teaching clinical therapeutics through role-play

Loh KY, Kwa SK

Med Educ, 2009 Nov;43(11):1101-2.

PMID: 19874515 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2009.03501.x

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards

Are our new medical graduates ready to prescribe?

Sim SM, Choo WY, Ng CJ

Med Educ, 2009 May;43(5):492.

PMID: 19422512 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2009.03352.x

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards*

Learning medical ethics in a primary care clinic

Loh KY, Nalliah S

Med Educ, 2008 Nov;42(11):1127-8.

PMID: 18991988 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2008.03217.x

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards

Improving OSCE examiner skills in a Malaysian setting

Tan CP, Azila NM

Med Educ, 2007 May;41(5):517.

PMID: 17470099

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards*

Accreditation of undergraduate medical training programs: practices in nine developing countries as compared with the United States

Cueto J, Burch VC, Adnan NA, Afolabi BB, Ismail Z, Jafri W, et al.

Educ Health (Abingdon), 2006 Jul;19(2):207-22.

PMID: 16831802

Undergraduate medical training program accreditation is practiced in many countries, but information from developing countries is sparse. We compared medical training program accreditation systems in nine developing countries, and compared these with accreditation practices in the United States of America (USA).

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards*

Recognition of higher medical institutions in Russia

Severyanova L, Lazarev A

Med J Malaysia, 2005 Aug;60 Suppl D:71-4.

PMID: 16315629

The Russian Federation of higher medical institutions get State accreditation, if their activity conforms to criteria determined by the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. Kursk State Medical University (KSMU) has a confirmed to requirement of accreditation by the Russian Federation, to conduct annually training of about 5000 students at 12 faculties. KSMU carries out pre-medical undergraduate and postgraduate training in the specialty "Doctor of medicine". For the first time in Russia KSMU was allowed to conduct a 6-year medical training with the use of English as an intermediary language by the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Education. In this relation programmes of training teachers for conducting instruction with the use of an intermediary language (English) and training students Russian with the level necessary for free communication with Russian patients and staff of the clinics have been developed and realized.

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards*

Skills assessment for undergraduate orthopaedic education

Harwant S, Pravin D, Teng EM

Med J Malaysia, 2005 Aug;60 Suppl D:69-70.

PMID: 16315628

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards*

Clinical experience of medical students in a developing country

Malik AS, Quah BS

Educ Health (Abingdon), 2003 Jul;16(2):163-75.

PMID: 14741902

OBJECTIVE: This paper compares the clinical experience in acute conditions of the undergraduate students of a medical school from a developing country (Malaysia) with those from a developed country (UK).
METHODS: This study was conducted at the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Through questionnaire survey enquiry was made about 27 acute medical conditions (i.e. conditions related to internal medicine, paediatrics, and psychiatry), 15 acute surgical conditions (i.e. conditions related to general surgery, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, gynaecology and obstetrics), 15 surgical operations and 26 practical procedures. The results obtained were compared with published data from the UK.
RESULTS: Acute medical conditions were seen by higher number of the USM students but with less frequency than the British students. The USM students saw practical procedures more frequently than the British students did, but almost an equal number performed these procedures independently. The British students attended surgical operations more frequently than the USM students did.
CONCLUSION: Given the limitations of comparison (epidemiological, cultural and geographical differences, conventional curriculum (in the British medical schools) vs. problem based learning curriculum (in the Malaysian medical school)) the overall clinical experience of the medical students in the USM and the UK was comparable. The USM students had more opportunities to observe cases and procedures but "hands on" experience was similar to that of the British students.

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards*

Teaching of evidence-based medicine to medical undergraduates

Atiya AS

Med J Malaysia, 2002 Dec;57 Suppl E:105-8.

PMID: 12733204

Medical practice is changing, and the foundations of the paradigm shift lie in the development in research over the last four decades. Today, it is no longer adequate to treat a patient purely on clinical experience alone without a clear demonstration of evidence based on research, particularly the use of randomised controlled clinical trials. What is thought to be an effective mode of treatment currently may not necessarily hold true by the time medical students begin his/her medical practice. As a consequence, many medical schools worldwide are increasingly promoting evidence-based medicine (EBM) teaching in their medical curriculum along with problem-based learning (PBL). Teaching of EBM requires a paradigm shift in itself, as students must possess additional skills that are not traditionally part of medical training. These include the ability to acquire the skills in 'means of answering questions' than just 'knowing the answer to questions'. This paper aims to describe what EBM is and to highlight the formative experience of the teaching of EBM at the medical undergraduate level in the University of Malaya. Challenges and opportunities towards successful adoption of evidence-based practice are discussed.

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards*

The Community Family Case Studies Programme at the University of Malaya

Tan PL

Med J Malaysia, 2002 Dec;57 Suppl E:86-93.

PMID: 12733200

The New Integrated Curriculum at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Which comprises three major longitudinal strands, was first implemented in 1998 to provide better integration of clinical and basic medical sciences. One of these longitudinal strands, the Doctor, Patients, Health and Society (DPHS) module, emphasizes the importance of developing good communication skills as well as introducing students to behavioural sciences, public health medicine, statistics and epidemiology. Community Family Case Studies (CFCS), within this module, have been used as a means for students to focus on these aspects, as the students are introduced to patients, their families and their community in Year 1 of the medical course and are required to follow them up throughout their five-year training period.

Matched MeSH terms: Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards

Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 29 in total