Revision of the Biochemistry Course Contents in Medicine and Dentistry fields

Recent developments in basic sciences as well as discovery of novel compounds and methods in biochemistry and cellular-molecular biology fields have necessitated revision and modification of Biochemistry syllabus for Medicine and Dentistry students in accordance with other universities around the world. Since teachers’ viewpoints on course contents can be beneficial in improving the course syllabus, this study was designed to evaluate the viewpoints of biochemistry professors in Iran about this course contents. In this descriptive study, performed from Sep. 2010 to June 2011, Iran universities of Medical Sciences were divided into three classes based on the classification of Ministry of Health and Medical Education and from each class at least five universities were randomly selected. Then from each biochemistry department at least two faculty members were randomly selected and included in the study. A questionnaire including the current syllabus of biochemistry course was prepared for evaluation of the course content. Data were analyzed by SPSS.V.16 software and using descriptive statistics. About Eighty Six of Questionnaires Were Completed. According to 53.38% of the respondents, the current syllabus does not fulfill educational needs of students and 42.3% believed that the current course content needs revision and finally, 42.4% believed that the devoted hours for teaching this course is not enough. Since the present syllabus for biochemistry cannot fulfill the educational needs of Medicine and Dentistry students, its revision is recommended.