Sama Abaei; Haleh Vaez; Saeideh Ghaffarifar; Neda Kabiri; Robab Mehdipour; Dourna Omranifar
Abstract
Background: Pharmacology is one of the crucial subjects of medical courses because drugs are the basis of disease treatment. A basic drug description is needed to optimize benefits and reduce side effects. Therefore, proper education for medical students is necessary.Objectives: This scoping review aims ...
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Background: Pharmacology is one of the crucial subjects of medical courses because drugs are the basis of disease treatment. A basic drug description is needed to optimize benefits and reduce side effects. Therefore, proper education for medical students is necessary.Objectives: This scoping review aims to investigate the methods, ideas, and recommendations for educating undergraduate medical students in pharmacology.Methods: To achieve the purpose of the study, related studies in English and Persian were reviewed within 2010 to 2022. A comprehensive systematic literature search was carried out in PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, Google Scholar, and ProQuest databases to conduct this review. Two independent reviewers evaluated the retrieved publications and extracted the data using the Joanna Briggs Institute’s standardized tools. Primary study findings were read and reread to identify teaching methods used in the studies for undergraduate medical students. The extracted findings were categorized based on their similarity.Results: A total of 56 studies were included in this scoping review. More than 70% of articles have been performed in India. The results were presented according to the teaching methods used in educating: team-based learning, computer-assisted learning, the autobiography of medicines, role-play, integrated education, case-based learning, problem-based learning, student-led objective tutorials, e-learning module, museum, pre-lecture, concept mapping, crossword puzzles, game, flipped classroom, and mixed methods.Conclusion: This review provided a new vision about the methods of pharmacology education that have been used worldwide. The information obtained can be used to revise traditional teaching methods of pharmacology in medical schools.
Salehe Sabouri Shahrbabak; Mahmood Reza Dehghani
Abstract
Background Active learning methods are strategies used by most universities worldwide to enhance the problem-solving ability and develop critical thinking in students. Team-based learning (TBL) is one of these methods, in which students study the lesson prior to discussion. At the beginning of the session, ...
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Background Active learning methods are strategies used by most universities worldwide to enhance the problem-solving ability and develop critical thinking in students. Team-based learning (TBL) is one of these methods, in which students study the lesson prior to discussion. At the beginning of the session, the individual readiness assurance test (iRAT) is given to students, and then they answer the same questions through discussion in a team. Finally, problems are resolved by the teacher and results are given to students. Methods In the current study, 30 pharmacology students were randomly assigned to two groups of 16 and 14 subjects. The educational content of pharmaceutical biotechnology was given to the 16- and 14-subject groups using traditional lecturing and TBL methods, respectively. Finally, both groups were assessed and compared based on a same method. Results The average scores of the lecturing and TBL groups were 6.77 ± 1.97 and 8.32 ± 2.65 out of 13.75, respectively (6.25 scores belonged to class activities, which were not included in comparisons). No significant difference was observed between the mean score of groups (P = 0.07), although the difference was very close to significant, which can be attributed to the current study’s small sample size. One subject in the TBL group and six in the lecturing group failed to pass the course; the difference between the groups in this regard was noticeable. Conclusions Although results of the current study showed no significant superiority of TBL over the lecturing method, most students were satisfied with the TBL method. Hence, it is recommended to employ this method with freshmen.