آموزش پزشکی

Evaluation of medical faculty members is one of the important aspects of medical education and research in this field has been growing for many years. This study was conducted with the aim of providing a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research on the evaluation of faculty of medical schools in a period of nearly seven decades.

Information Sources or Data:

 A bibliometric approach was used to analyze the research background of evaluation of medical school professors in the Web of Science (WOS) database.

Selection Methods for Study: 

The methodology included four stages of data collection, data analysis, data visualization, and data interpretation.

A total of 348 studies published between 1957 and 2024 were analyzed. The results showed a steady growth in the number of publications over time with an annual growth rate of 5.1%. The most productive countries in terms of publications are: United States, Australia, England, Canada and Germany. The most cited publications were: Academic Medicine, BMC Medical Education and Medical Teacher. This analysis also showed that the collaboration in these studies was international and 18.68% of the studies had authors from different countries. The results show that this field is becoming increasingly active and dynamic, and every year more researchers contribute to this field. In examining the research roots, three distinct clusters emerged over time. Initially (1980-1957), studies focused on the development of evaluation methods and tools, emphasizing objective criteria and standardized tools. The next phase (1980-2000) examined the impact of evaluation on professors’ progress and student learning outcomes and revealed the relationship between evaluation, motivation, job satisfaction and student performance. More recently (2000–2024), research has examined the importance of issues such as culture, gender, race, and student opinion of faculty, showing how organizational and departmental cultures influence evaluation practices and outcomes.

This bibliometric analysis provides an overview of the background of medical faculty evaluation research and shows the growth and trend in this field. This study demonstrates the importance of considering a wide range of factors, including motivation, participation, perception, and contextual factors, when designing and implementing evaluation programs. The results have implications for medical education and research and can inform the development of policies and practices related to faculty evaluation.

Collective assessment methods in the medical field primarily focus on multiple-choice questions (MCQs) designed to measure the recall of information and basic facts. However, extended matching questions (EMQs), as an advanced type of multiple-choice test, have the capability to assess higher cognitive levels such as problem-solving and the application of knowledge. In this study, aimed at comparing the effectiveness and impact of EMQs and MCQs on the performance and satisfaction of medical students, these two types of assessments were evaluated among students at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The results of this study could significantly contribute to improving the quality of assessment in medical education and identifying more effective methods for measuring the clinical abilities of students.

This research was conducted as a semi-experimental intervention in 2021 on obstetrics and gynecology and internal medicine students at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The sample for this study was obtained through convenience sampling, including students in residency, internship, and clerkship programs. A multiple-choice questionnaire (MCQ) was used in the control group, while an extended matching question (EMQ) format was employed in the intervention group. The validity of the test questions was confirmed by a panel consisting of five subject matter experts and one medical education specialist. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 25. To compare the effectiveness of the EMQ and MCQ tests in distinguishing between students at three different educational levels, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted.

 A total of 176 individuals participated, with 87 in the intervention group and 89 in the control group. The baseline variables showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups. The EMQ score (17.1±2.5) was higher than the MCQ score (16.6±2.6), although this difference was not statistically significant. Additionally, student satisfaction with EMQ was greater than with MCQ (17.5 ±2.5 compared to 16.2±3.3). The EMQ test score had a significant inverse correlation with the entrance exam score (r = -0.399, p = 0.011), while this correlation was not observed for the MCQ test (r = -0.258, p = 0.095).

According to learning and educational psychology, monitoring and evaluation are considered the final link in educational activities and complement the teaching process. It is noteworthy that the behavior of some medical students indicates that the method of evaluation can stimulate learning. Therefore, efforts to find the best evaluation method continue. Currently, Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) are significantly used in medical universities due to their ability to assess a large number of students and evaluate a wide range of educational content with high objectivity. However, most specialists do not recommend this method. The results indicate that student performance and satisfaction in Extended Matching Questions (EMQs) are higher compared to MCQs, which may be due to a more accurate assessment of students and a more objective evaluation of educational content in the extensive matching test.

Considering the importance of training competent physicians, medical education is a very serious and important matter, and this explains the need to use the most up-to-date and effective teaching methods. Among the effective teaching methods are active teaching methods, which we have explained in this study the students' experiences of using active learning methods in clinical medical education.

In this qualitative phenomenological study, the opinions of 11 extern and intern medical students of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences were collected through open-ended questions in the form of one-on-one interviews about active teaching methods and their experiences of using these methods, and they were coded and analyzed using MAXQDA software, and important concepts were extracted.

144 initial codes were categorized into 5 main themes and 18 subcategories, and in some cases, 31 subcategories. The main themes include; students' experiences of active learning, active learning contexts in clinical education, benefits of using active learning methods, active learning opportunities in the clinic, and active learning challenges in the clinic.

Based on what was obtained from the experiences of students and professors regarding active clinical education in the 5 main themes of experiences, contexts, benefits, opportunities, and challenges of active learning, active learning plays a significant role in consolidating the learned material and is a necessary and essential requirement for effective medical learning.

A curriculum is a plan that oversees the most important event of education, i.e. learning or reconstructing experiences. Therefore, checking and knowing the quality of curricula is the most effective measure to guide and implement these programs. To improve the coherence of curricula, they should be periodically evaluated and, if necessary, required changes should be applied to them. This study aims to determine the quality of traditional medicine curriculum in the field of medicine.

 A total of 228 students were selected based on a stratified random sampling method. For data collection, a researcher-made questionnaire assessing the quality of the traditional medicine curriculum was used, aligned with Tyler's curriculum elements. This questionnaire consisted of two sections: personal information and questions related to the quality of the traditional medicine curriculum from the perspective of medical students. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts, and Cronbach's alpha method was used to determine its reliability. After the data were reviewed, they were entered into SPSS version 24.

The average status of the objectives, content, and organization of the content, teaching and learning strategies, and evaluation methods of the traditional medicine curriculum in the medical field, as perceived by medical students, were calculated to be 3.33, 3.34, 3.34, 3.45, and 3.21, respectively. All items significantly indicated a favorable status from the perspective of the students. Based on the analysis of the completed questionnaires, most medical students were aware of the traditional medicine curriculum. No relationship was observed between gender and the evaluation of the curriculum quality. However, interns rated the quality of the traditional medicine curriculum significantly higher than externs.

Educational program planners can benefit from the findings of this research in revising the curriculum of the general medical course, considering the significance and necessity of learning traditional medicine in the medical profession. This can aid in training learners in traditional medicine within the field of medicine.

Augmented reality is used in various fields, including medical education. Considering the importance of teaching sciences such as anatomy, which requires three-dimensional models and rotation around axes, using augmented reality in teaching and learning can be effective. Therefore, this study has been conducted to introduce augmented reality and its application in the field of medical science education, specifically in the education of human anatomy, and investigate the effect of this technology's application on the learning of learners.

 Using the keywords Medical Education, Anatomy Education, and Augmented Reality, a search was conducted in PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases from 2012 to 2022. All the published experimental and quasi-experimental articles in English and related were extracted and evaluated based on compatibility with the research topic. Selected articles were included in the study for comprehensive review and data extraction.

The use of augmented reality technology can increase students' motivation, learning, immersion, interaction, and understanding of anatomy, encourage them to learn complex anatomy problems, shorten the learning curve, pay attention to details, stimulate students to learn more, and reduce crowding in halls.

Based on the reviewed studies, anatomy education using augmented reality technology can effectively increase learning and improve medical students' understanding of anatomical sciences.

Clinical education is a pivotal aspect of medical training, essential for developing students' professional competencies. Clinical rounds, a cornerstone of clinical education, provide a practical platform for applying theoretical knowledge. This study aims to evaluate the current status of clinical rounds at Kashan Shahid-Beheshti Hospital.

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2019. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire, developed based on Ministry of Health clinical education standards, was employed. The questionnaire underwent rigorous validation procedures, achieving a reliability coefficient of α = 0.955. The instrument was used to evaluate the clinical round status of faculty members, physicians, residents, interns, and clerks in various educational departments. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (t-test) at a significance level of α = 0.05.

A total of 302 participants were included in the study. Respondents generally perceived the clinical round status as above average, with most selecting 'desirable' or 'most desirable' options on the questionnaire. A significant difference was observed in the mean clinical round status scores between the internal medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, infectious disease, and psychiatry groups (P < 0.001).

The overall clinical round status was deemed favorable. Faculty awareness of educational standards in clinical practice appears to positively influence the quality of clinical rounds, leading to improved learner competency and healthcare service delivery.

One of the challenging issues in education is establishing fairness in student evaluation. Determining a fixed passing score for all tests without considering the specific characteristics of each test and test taker is unfair. The passing standard for each test should be determined based on factors such as the level of difficulty of the test, the ability of the students, the learning environment, and educational goals to establish fairness. This study was conducted to provide solutions for accurately determining the passing score threshold and improving the quality of tests. It is expected that the results of this study can help test administrators and university faculty members to improve the evaluation process and take an influential step toward establishing educational fairness.

This study was a narrative review and systematic search. Published Persian and English articles were searched in databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and SID using keywords including standard setting, passing score, minimum pass level, and cut point. Finally, 37 studies were included in the study based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

The articles included in the study described 16 methods for determining the passing score. These were broadly divided into four categories: test-centered, examinee-centered, performance-centered, and outcome-centered.

To improve the quality of their exams, universities should monitor this process by utilizing experts in the evaluation and using mixed methods or item mapping as a standard approach to achieving fairness in assessments.

In the medical education environment, ensuring and continuously improving quality has become an indispensable necessity. This technical note examines the internal evaluation process of residency training programs at the school of medicine of Guilan University of Medical Sciences in 14 steps. The primary objective of this study is to identify strengths and weaknesses in these educational programs and to provide actionable recommendations for enhancing educational quality. The findings of this evaluation can serve as a foundation for improving both processes and policies at the level of specialty groups and the university as a whole.

Effective learning results from correct education in an appropriate setting and through creative, inclusive, encouraging methods. This study aimed to investigate the new active approach of microlearning and the consequences of its use in medical education.

This narrative review was compiled by searching Persian and English Iranian and international scientific databases, including SID, Magiran, PubMed, Science Direct, and Scopus, and the Google Scholar search engine, using keywords such as “education,” “learning,” “ microlearning,” “student,” and “medical education,” from 2015 to 2024. The articles selection process was based on the PRISMA diagram, and the quality of the selected articles was assessed using the STROBE and CASP tools. After removing duplicate articles, the titles and abstracts of the remaining articles were reviewed, and unrelated articles were removed. Then, the full text of the 16 articles was reviewed.

The study included 16 articles in total.  Microlearning facilitates the teaching-learning process in learners due to its ease of access, flexibility, promotion of active learning, time-saving, and high productivity. Microlearning in medical education can improve learner knowledge acquisition and retention, skills and performance, participation, interest, teamwork, motivation, self-confidence, and satisfaction.

Using the microlearning method in the curriculum of medical sciences students can lead to the improvement of knowledge and skills, change the attitudes of learners, and improve the process of treatment and care for patients.

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in modern healthcare has attracted much attention, especially in clinical medical education. One area where AI is increasingly being integrated today is medical grand rounds (MGRs), which are common training sessions in clinical medical education. The goal of medical grand rounds is to promote learning and collaboration among the healthcare team through discussion of clinical cases, treatment protocols, and awareness of the latest medical advances (1).

 

By replacing traditional teaching methods with modern educational approaches, medical education also requires transformation. This study aimed to design an interactive educational software atlas of breast diseases for medical students and assessing their perspectives and satisfaction.

This study was a design and development project aimed at stimulating clinical cases on both web and mobile devices. The designed atlas was provided to 20 clinical medical students from Jahrom University who were undergoing their surgical rotation. The students' perspectives were evaluated using a 10-question questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale, while their satisfaction was assessed on a 10-point scale.

The highest percentage of respondents, ranging from 60 to 80 percent, rated the application's impact on learning and its applicability as excellent or good. 31.6 percent of students were completely satisfied with the designed atlas, while 73.7 percent of participants rated it 7 or higher. Additionally, the survey results revealed that 84.3 percent of students were highly satisfied, giving a score of 8 or above.

The breast disease atlas simulator has the potential to positively impact student learning and satisfaction. By utilizing this interactive atlas, which contains real content, as an effective educational tool, it can be applied in various fields, including medical education.

Solid foundations are essential to successfully implementing a curriculum, and e-curriculums are no exception. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the socio-philosophical foundations of e-curriculums in medical education.

The present study was a systematic review. The scope of the research included studies from 2014 to 2024. A systematic search was conducted in electronic databases to identify studies, and internal data search engines such as Normags, Magiran, Civica, foreign IJET, Google Scholar, Eric, Scopus, Science Direct, and 28 related studies were analyzed. Descriptive, interpretive, theoretical, and practical validity were used to control the quality of the extracted codes. Finally, the data were analyzed using content analysis.

The findings showed that 81 open philosophical social epistemological concepts supporting the electronic curriculum were used, which can be divided into six epistemological bases of realism, existentialism, relativism, relationalism, ontology, and pragmatism based on the type of epistemological perspective. Finally, based on the selective coding process, the counted concepts were classified into three main categories: positivism, interpretive and interpretive, and critical and emancipatory.

In the process of education from the modernist to postmodernist era, the positivist approach has always been needed as a helper to the critical epistemological perspective and cannot be definitively ignored. Therefore, it is suggested that the medical curriculum planners use the characteristics of these elements along with the deprecating approach to design an electronic curriculum.Keywords: Ethical challenges, advanced technologies, medical education

Dear Editor,Medical education is a combination of educational methods, educational philosophies, and conceptual frameworks. Quality medical education is essential for better health care. Perhaps artificial intelligence will fully encompass key areas of medicine, including psychiatry and diagnostic practices such as radiology and pathology. The goal of artificial intelligence in medical education is to train good and competent doctors. The use of artificial intelligence in medical education can be divided into three main categories: first, the curriculum; second, learning; and third, evaluation. Although there are challenges such as data collection, technical problems, medical ethics, digitalization of centers, and lack of trust, these challenges can be overcome aiming to build a society with awareness, skilled, and up-to-date healthcare specialists. Currently artificial intelligence has led governing bodies, heads of medical education, and medical education investigators to begin implementing artificial intelligence in the medical education curriculum. Therefore, it is recommended that the medical education system from now on, need moving towards changing and integrating medical education with artificial

The integration of advanced technologies into the medical education system, while bringing extensive achievements and advancements, has also introduced significant challenges, including vital ethical issues. Therefore, the present study was conducted to review the ethical challenges of modern technologies in medical education.

This study is a scoping review conducted in five stages based on the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The strategy follows a five-step framework: identifying the research question, identifying relevant studies, screening and selecting studies, extracting and processing data, and summarizing and reporting results. Data was collected from three databases: Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed on November 25, 2024, without any time or language restrictions.

The study included 35 articles out of 829 found in the initial search. The results showed that the most important common ethical challenges in modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, simulators, big data, information technology, and digital social media included privacy protection, bias, and lack of accountability. In 3D printing technology, ethical challenges also included reduced human interaction and violation of intellectual property rights.

The future of medical education depends on finding an intelligent balance between the use of technology and the preservation of human values. Implementing clear laws and regulations, designing and implementing practical ethical frameworks, teaching ethics-oriented technology skills to students, and continuously monitoring outcomes can pave the way for responsible, fair, and ethical use of modern technologies in medical education.

Medical/Health Humanities is considered a new field of study. This concept is looking for an answer to the question of how to make medical education, medical processes, and practice more humane so that the human aspects are respected more. In this research, we want to identify and explain the necessity and how to apply the essentials of medical humanities in the MD curriculum of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences

The current research was qualitative and content analysis type research. The samples of this research were selected purposefully. The samples included university faculty members who had innovative educational processes and general course lecturers, or experts in medical education. Data collection continued until the collected data duplicated the previous data and data saturation occurred. Semi-structured group interview with a focus group discussion method was used for data collection and conventional content analysis method was used for data analysis.

After merging the codes extracted from the focus group discussion, classifying the codes, and repeated revisions 155 codes were identified. These codes were categorized into 14 categories, which were finally placed in two more general themes of “necessity” and “how”. In the theme of “necessity”, 6 categories and 60 codes were identified, including medical paradigms, Iranian medical tradition, issues in current medicine, medical technology, benefits of health/medical humanities education, and problems in the curriculum. In the “how” theme, 8 categories and 95 codes were identified, including applying for new courses, changing current courses, new topics, setting goals to strengthen skills, arts and humanities, education in practice, policy-making, and challenges.

The result of this research showed that it is necessary to include the content of medical/health humanities in the general medical curriculum. Needs assessment in the definition of new courses and topics and the application of existing courses in the curriculum should be done to improve the quality of medical education. The inclusion of humanities content in the curriculum has challenges, such as cultural issues, resistance to change, medical hegemony, the presence of a clinical-oriented and reductionist point of view, the absence of an approved curriculum, and an overcrowded curriculum.

Mastery of clinical skills in emergency medicine is a key factor in effectively managing emergency patients. Given the critical importance of acquiring these skills, this study aimed to evaluate the self-assessment of medical interns at Babol University of Medical Sciences regarding their training and competence in the emergency department

This study was conducted as a descriptive cross-sectional study on 100 interns from Babol University of Medical Sciences who had completed their emergency medicine internship in 2023. Participants completed demographic questionnaires and satisfaction surveys assessing their acquisition of clinical skills in managing emergency patients, performing essential therapeutic procedures, and their education in the emergency department. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27 with descriptive and inferential statistical methods.

The mean age of the students was 25.54±1.42 years. The results showed that students reported the highest satisfaction in the areas of acquiring clinical skills for managing emergency patients, performing primary therapeutic procedures, and the quality of education in the emergency department, specifically in handling abdominal pain, nasogastric tube insertion, gastric lavage, and the impact of the emergency medicine department on improving emergency activities. Conversely, the lowest satisfaction was reported in dealing with environmental emergencies, airway management, and motivating learners for study and research activities.

Based on the results of this study, there is a clear need for targeted planning
and strategies to enhance clinical skills in managing environmental emergencies, improving airway management, and motivating interns to engage in study and research activities.

Faculty members in basic science education face numerous challenges in designing educational content and evaluations. The flipped classroom is one of the student-centered educational strategies that has gained popularity in the last decade. The study aims to evaluate the effects of the flipped classroom via group work on learning and satisfaction of a biochemistry course.

In this quasi-experimental study, 66 students of Laboratory and Nutrition participated in a flipped learning method of biochemistry combined with group teaching against traditional teaching methods during the academic year 2023-2024 at Gonabad University of Medical Sciences. The traditional group had already passed this course in the traditional way the previous year. The Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate (ADDIE) model was used to design the flipped classroom in a proper way so that all steps were synergistic. The recorded clips, along with the PowerPoints, were sent to the students in the Navid Learning Management System. Moreover, the flipped class was divided into sub-groups, allowing each group to choose a chapter or topic to teach in groups. At the end of the semester, a 13-item questionnaire was prepared, and the opinions of the students were collected and analyzed regarding the use of the flipped classroom method and team teaching. To compare the effectiveness of the method, the final test scores were compared with the traditional teaching group. The validity of the satisfaction questionnaire was checked by the Content Validity Index and expert opinions, and its reliability was calculated by Cronbach's alpha, resulting in 0.88. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent t-tests with SPSS version 26.

The results of the independent t-test showed that the mean scores of the biochemistry course in the flipped class group (17.51±1.73) were significantly higher than those in the traditional group (16.24±2.37) (t (58.6) =2.48, P=0.016), which showed the improvement of learning with the flipped method. Further, the results of the satisfaction questionnaire showed that students were highly satisfied with the implementation of the flipped class and teamwork.

The results of the study showed that students’ performance and satisfaction improved in flipped classrooms. The flipped classroom allows students to personalize their learning based on individual efforts and needs. Further, this method develops a sense of responsibility for learning, as students and professors work together to achieve common goals, which increases student-teacher and student-student interactions. Moreover, with this management change in the class, teachers know students better and ensure effective evaluation. The class becomes more transparent, which results in higher learning efficiency and student satisfaction. Future research must identify complications and move toward the facilitation of implementing the flipped method in medical sciences universities.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming numerous fields, particularly healthcare. In Iran, where AI is an emerging discipline, there is a notable gap in knowledge and understanding in this area. This study aimed to explore medical students' acceptance, knowledge, attitudes, and readiness regarding medical artificial intelligence.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 117 medical students selected through convenience sampling. The study utilized a structured questionnaire comprising four sections: demographic characteristics, readiness (22 items rated on a five-point Likert scale), acceptance (28 items rated on a five-point Likert scale), knowledge (8 items rated on a three-point Likert scale), and attitude toward artificial intelligence (13 items rated on a five-point Likert scale). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27, employing descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, Pearson correlation tests, and regression analysis. A significance level of P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The findings indicated that the mean levels of readiness (50.66±84.13), knowledge (23.17±27.3), and acceptance (25.95±63.14) were moderate, while the mean attitude level (51.46±01.6) was good. A direct and statistically significant relationship was observed among readiness, knowledge, acceptance, and attitude toward artificial intelligence (P<0.05), except for the relationship between readiness and attitude, which was not statistically significant (P=0.516). Regression analysis showed that attending artificial intelligence training courses (Beta=22.5, P=0.013) and knowledge about artificial intelligence (Beta=0.41, P<0.001) were strong predictors of readiness for medical artificial intelligence. These relationships remained statistically significant in both simple and multivariate linear regression analyses. Additionally, artificial intelligence usage and acceptance were identified as independent predictors of readiness in simple linear regression.

Medical students at Babol University of Medical Sciences showed a positive attitude toward artificial intelligence, indicating its growing relevance in medical education. These findings suggest that education planners should focus on improving students’ knowledge, readiness, and acceptance of AI through well-structured courses and training programs. Such efforts could help better prepare students for the increasing role of AI in healthcare.

Considering the ever-increasing changes in today's world, the mission of education in medicine to prepare learners to face new goals becomes difficult. Therefore, in such a situation, it is necessary to use new methods to make education more effective, and paying attention to integrated learning is considered a development in this field. In this way, the aim of the current research is to present a model for establishing a blended learning environment in medical education.Materials &  This research was qualitative using the metacomposite method with Sandolovski and Barso model. The statistical population included studies conducted in the period of 2019 to 2023 in the field of blended learning with specific keywords in national databases such as Noormags, Magiran, Civilica, Ganj, and Elmnet and international databases like IJET, Eric, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google scholar were collected. A total of 59 studies were reviewed and after several stages of screening, 20 study units were finally selected. Investigations showed that the lack of attention to the theoretical foundations of integrated learning in the field of educational sciences and its application in medical education has caused that there is no effective model for medical education instructors, which has six components: technology integration, flexible planning, active learning, self-paced learning, student cooperation and assessment, feedback and improvement, in order to establish a unified learning environment in medical education, were analyzed and extracted in this research. In the discussion of limitations, the reviewers sometimes had to choose articles more related to the field of medical sciences in order to create more accurate bases for its application and universalization in the field of medical education. The results show that the presented model meets the diverse needs of the learner and seamlessly adapts to the evolving demands of healthcare. Blended learning represents a historic paradigm shift that equips students with the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to thrive in the rapidly changing healthcare landscape.