16 research outputs found
Reflective Practices among Postgraduate Medical Students to Improve their Learning Outcomes - A Qualitative Exploratory Study
No full textNot Availabl
Developing and Validating Sense of Belongingness (SoB) Scale in Online Distance Learning (ODL) in Postgraduates
No full textTransforming Medical and Dental Curriculum in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
No full textThe dawn of artificial intelligence (AI) signifies a pivotal shift in medical and dental education. Integrating AI into the curriculum modernizes learning and equips future healthcare professionals with crucial tools for the 21st century. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the limitations of conventional educational models, necessitating rapid adaptation to remote and online learning environments. This disruption expedited the transition to digital platforms, laying the foundation for further integration of technology, including AI, into medical education. What began as an emergency response has now become a permanent feature of the educational landscape, evolving from static textbooks to dynamic digital platforms that offer greater accessibility, inclusivity, and personalization of learning experiences.1 In the AI era, it is insufficient to merely digitize the curriculum; a comprehensive transformation is essential. The digital curriculum opens new avenues for interactive learning environments, simulation-based practices, and adaptive learning algorithms that respond to the individual needs of students. AI-driven tools such as virtual patient simulations, diagnostic decision-making platforms, and predictive analytics have the potential to revolutionize how medical students learn, practice, and apply their knowledge in clinical settings.2 These innovations allow for an enhanced learning experience where students can interact with realistic patient cases and make informed decisions, fostering a deeper understanding of clinical practice.
One of the most promising applications of AI in medical education is its role as an educational partner. AI-powered platforms can function as personalized tutors, providing real-time feedback, adjusting learning modules based on student performance, and even predicting areas where additional support may be required.3 Adaptive learning systems can analyze the learner’s pace and comprehension, offering tailored resources to bridge knowledge gaps. This personalized approach to education ensures that no student is left behind, addressing one of the longstanding challenges of traditional, one-size-fits-all curricula. Additionally, AI can enhance clinical reasoning through simulation and data-driven case scenarios. By analyzing patterns in patient data, AI algorithms can help medical students gain deeper insights into complex clinical decision-making processes. This data-driven approach can significantly improve learners’ ability to diagnose and plan treatments, thereby improving clinical outcomes. While AI and digital tools offer substantial benefits, the role of educators remains essential in this new educational paradigm. Rather than replacing teachers, AI will augment their roles, allowing them to focus on mentorship, critical thinking, and the ethical dimensions of healthcare.4 Educators will need to reimagine their roles, becoming facilitators of learning who guide students in interpreting and applying AI-generated data in clinical settings. As AI takes on administrative tasks such as grading, educators can dedicate more time to meaningful interactions with students.5 However, this shift toward AI-driven curricula also requires significant investment in faculty development. Educators must be trained in the use of AI tools and possess a thorough understanding of their applications to ensure that AI is used responsibly and effectively in shaping future healthcare professionals.
As AI becomes more integrated into medical education, addressing the ethical challenges associated with this technology becomes crucial. While AI-driven tools hold great promise, they must be designed and deployed with an acute awareness of biases, data privacy concerns, and the risk of over-reliance on algorithms in clinical decision-making.6 The digital curriculum must provide students with technical skills and a strong ethical foundation for AI use in healthcare. Students must be trained to critically evaluate AI outputs, understand their limitations, and ensure that human judgment remains central to patient care. Transforming medical curricula in the AI era is not without challenges. Digital divides, access to technology, and the initial cost of AI-driven platforms may pose barriers to widespread adoption. Institutions must ensure equitable access to resources for all students, regardless of their geographic or socioeconomic backgrounds. Moreover, regulatory bodies such as the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) must revise standards to accommodate these technological advancements. In conclusion, the transformation of medical and dental curricula into a digital, AI-enhanced model represents not only a modernization of education but also a fundamental shift in preparing future healthcare professionals. By embracing AI as an educational partner, medical institutions can create personalized, data-driven learning environments that equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in an increasingly complex healthcare landscape. The integration of AI into the curriculum offers an opportunity to empower the next generation of doctors, enabling them to navigate future challenges with confidence and competence. Now is the time for this transformation, and it is a journey that we must embark on collectively to ensure the future of education, healthcare, and patient care
Exploring Empathy In A Dentist-Patient Relationship. Conclusions From Qualitative Exploratory Research Of Practicing Dentists
No full textObjective: This study explored the factors influencing the development of empathy in a dentist-patient relationship.
Design: An exploratory qualitative study.
Place and duration of the study: Khyber Medical University KPK, Pakistan October 2019 to April 2020.was conducted during 2019-2020
Methodology: This exploratory qualitative study was conducted during 2019-2020. It was conducted on 12 dental surgeons, recruited from four major dental clinical specialties. A purposive sampling technique was used. In-depth interviews were conducted through a semi-structured format. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed, using the thematic analysis framework.
Results: Three themes were extracted from data. 1) Institutionalization of empathy, indicating a need for incorporating empathy in undergraduate and postgraduate dental curriculum, 2) Barriers in the path of empathetic attitude, including a variety of factors hampering the development of empathy in a dentist-patient relationship and 3) Cultivating a Culture of empathy for better health care provision, indicating a need for changing the collective attitude of all health care professionals, administrative staff, and students. The participants of the study observed that development of empathy in a dentist-patient relationship includes a wide range of factors, ranging from curricular, personal, social, organizational, and cultural. These factors elaborate that empathy is a multidimensional phenomenon with roots deeply entrenched in professional and personal domains
Perception of Neurosurgical Residents about Learning in Operation Theatre in Tertiary Care Hospitals
No full textOBJECTIVES
To explore Neurosurgical postgraduate residents perceptions of their learning environment in operating rooms.METHODOLOGY
From March 2022 to August 2022, this cross-sectional study will be carried out in the Department of Neurosurgery Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, and Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad. The STEEM survey examined how surgical theatres were perceived as educational environments. After receiving informed consent, a printed questionnaire was provided to 32 surgical residents. SPSS 24 was used to conduct descriptive and inferential data analyses.
RESULTS
Thirty-one (31) of the 32 surgical residents that were surveyed (or 98.3%) answered. Residents' average age was 29.27 years (2.37); 27 were male, and 05 were female. Most residents were in their third (34.4%) and fourth (21.3%) years of residency. 147.66 (18.57) was the overall mean score. Participants' age and gender did not affect the mean scores; nevertheless, responses were statistically more favorable for residents in their first or fifth year of residency. Fifty-three locals responded favorably or positively overall.
CONCLUSION
Overall, residents had positive opinions of their training, their supervisors, the opportunities for learning in the operating room, the environment, and the monitoring they received
EFFECTIVENESS OF VARIOUS TEACHING METHODOLOGIES IN DEVELOPING CLINICAL REASONING SKILLS IN UNDERGRADUATE FEMALE MEDICAL STUDENTS
No full textABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of “summarize, narrow, analyze, probing, management plan, select a topic” (SNAPPS) model, one-minute preceptor (OMP) and traditional clinical teaching in developing clinical reasoning skills of final year undergraduate female medical students in pediatrics clinical setting.
METHODS: This randomized control trial was conducted at Department of Pediatrics, Peshawar Medical College from February to July 2016. Students were randomly distributed in three groups i.e. SNAPPS, OMP and traditional teaching with 20 students in each group. All 60 students were exposed to pre-test including 4 Key Feature Problems (KFPs). Students were then taught on pre-identified 4 topics with one topic /week by respective teaching methodology. Each topic was followed by post-test using 4 KFPs. The pre-test and post-test results were recorded and analyzed on SPSS-20. ANOVA was used as test for finding significance.
RESULTS: All 60 female students of final year completed the study and none dropped out. The mean marks of pretest of three groups were 12.50±0.15 with minimum number of 4±1 marks and maximum of 23±1. There was no significant difference in pre-test among the groups using ANOVA (p = .984). However, significant difference (p< 0.001) was observed in post-test among groups after intervention. There was statistically significant difference (p<0.001) in favor of SNAPPS as compared to traditional teaching methodology. There was no significant difference between OMP and traditional method.
CONCLUSION: SNAPPS is significantly more effective in improving clinical reasoning than OMP and traditional teaching method in female undergraduate medical students in pediatrics clinical setting
Role of Case-Based Discussion as Workplace-Based Assessment Tool in Urology and General Surgery
No full textOBJECTIVES
To determine the effectiveness of case-based discussion in terms of medical record-keeping, clinical reasoning, clinical judgment, and self-reflection in the management of patients.
METHODOLOGY
A multidisciplinary descriptive study was conducted in the Department of Urology Institute of Kidney Diseases, Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar, and Department of General Surgery, Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar, Pakistan, from January to December 2023. A total number of 20 postgraduate residents, ten from Urology and General Surgery, participated in the study with equal male and female participants. Case-based discussion (CBD) assessments focused on medical record-keeping, clinical Decision-making, clinical judgment, management, follow-up, and reflective writing. The data was collected on structured proforma and was analyzed on SPSS-25.
RESULTS
The total number of study participants was 20, and 410 Case-Based Discussion sessions were conducted. This constitutes an average of 4.8 assessments per week. Most encounters were related to medical clinical decisions and management. The case-based discussion showed significant improvement on the Likert scale of the supervisor’s rating, which extended over four quarters on all major parameters of formative assessment (p 0.001). The multimodal regression test showed significant enhancement in learning parameters on case-based discussions. R2=0.172 F ration=25.141 n=410 (p=0.001). There was no significant difference in the gender of residents as well as training specialty of residents of urology and general surgery (p >0.05).
CONCLUSION
A case-based discussion is an effective tool for formative assessment of Urology and General Surgery postgraduate residents
Perceptions and comparison of bedside teaching among final year students of public and private medical colleges of Peshawar
No full textIntroduction: Bedside teaching is an important but declining strategy in medical education. The regulatory authority’s insistence on structure of an institute needs be supplemented with quality of bedside teaching. The objective of this study was to find perceptions and compare bedside teaching among students of public and private medical colleges of Peshawar.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at four medical colleges of Peshawar during the month of February 2020. A Likert scale tool with 30 items and four subscales; physical environment, patient’s comfort and student attitude, teaching session and teaching fellow was filled by 242 students. Mean score for each question and each subscale was calculated for each institute for perceptions. Mean score of two public and two private institutes for each subscale was compared by unpaired t-test.
Results: Physical environment mean score was highest at Khyber Girls Medical College Peshawar (2.97±0.50). Patients’ comfort and students’ attitude mean score was approximately equal in four institutes. In teaching session, the highest mean score was reported by Khyber Girls Medical College and was lowest by Khyber Medical College. For teaching fellow, mean score was highest at Khyber Girls Medical College (3.70±0.67) and lowest at Kabir Medical College (2.85±0.55). For physical environment (public 2.87±0.48 vs. private 2.59±0.60) and teaching fellow scale (public 2.87±0.48 vs. private2.59±0.60) there was highly significant difference (p=0.0001).
Conclusion: Mean score in four subscales are comparable in four institutes with some variation but there are significant differences between public and private institutes in physical environment and teaching fellow subscales. There are some consistencies and conflicts with regional and international literature. This needs in-depth qualitative exploration
Exploring Challenges to the Students and Faculty in an Undergraduate Integrated Dental Curriculum; A Qualitative Study.
No full textOBJECTIVES
To explore challenges to the students and faculty in an Undergraduate Integrated Dental Curriculum.
METHODOLOGY
The qualitative phenomenological study was conducted in Peshawar Dental College, Peshawar from June to October 2023 (05 Months).Dentistry students and faculty who had experienced the integrated curriculum were recruited with consent, by purposive sampling. After the ethical approval, three focus group discussions were held where the interview guide was structured using Sanford’s theoretical framework featuring open-ended questions, validated by subject experts. The student’s focus group consisted of eight students of basic sciences, (first and second year), and clinical sciences, (third and final year) of Bachelor of Dental Surgery. Whereas the two faculty focus groups consisted of basic sciences and clinical sciences faculty. The focus group discussions were audio recorded and transcribed, using Otter AI and transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic content analysis,
RESULTS
Out of 20, eight students and twelve faculty members belonging to the same institute participated in the focus group discussions. The identified themes were, (a) Challenges of an Integrated System (b) Strategic Assessment Reformation & feedback, (c) Supportive Measures and benefits of an Integrated Curriculum.
CONCLUSION
Several challenges were identified in the integrated dental curriculum. The students’ challenges included a heavy workload, rapid pace, and limited revision time. The faculty faced challenges like resistance to change, inadequate infrastructure, and assessment validity concerns. They required comprehensive training in integrated teaching methodologies and effective assessment strategies
