Teaching through Near-Peer Method in Medical Education: A Systematic Review

Peer education is implemented in various curricula. However, there are conflicting reports of its effects. The aim of this study was to review the literature and assess the outcomes of near-peer education for students of medical sciences.
In this systematic review, an online search was carried out to identify articles published from 1995-2015 on assessing the outcomes of near-peer education for students of medical sciences. The databases of PubMed, Science Direct, Google scholar, ERIC and SID were searched using the keywords near-peer, education, medical, students, learning and performance. Interventional full-text articles in English or Persian that had used near-peer method in the intervention group were extracted. A total of 104 articles were found, of which 15 were selected for final review after skimming their titles and abstracts.
Research designs, course types, research duration, and the type of outcome varied across the studies. Some of the studies used one-group only design while others had a control group. All of the studies had an only after design. Nine studies examined learners’ skill scores as the outcome. However, three of them did not find any significant difference between the intervention and control groups. Eight studies reported learners’ positive views toward this method, while some of the learners had concerns about near-peers’ knowledge and abilities. Four studies reported that this method had enhanced teachers’ confidence and teaching skills. However, some of the teachers were concerned about the adequacy of the transferred knowledge.
Near-peer education can enhance learning and performance, teaching skills and confidence of both students of medical sciences and near-peers.