Validating the effectiveness of a classroom-setting form of early clinical exposure with direct physician involvement in gastrointestinal physiology education.

Abstract

Background: Early clinical exposure (ECE) represents one form of vertical integration that bridges the gap between the early theoretical years and the clinical practicing years in undergraduate medical education. In most medical colleges in China, the complex healthcare system and large-enrollment classes pose significant challenges for implementing ECE in a hospital setting. However, there is a paucity of data comprehensively demonstrating the effectiveness of a classroom-setting form of ECE with direct physician involvement in physiology education.

Methods: 181 sophomore clinical medicine students from Harbin Medical University were randomly divided into two groups: a control group (n = 91) and an experimental group (n = 90). The control group received traditional flipped classroom (FC) teaching, whereas the experimental group participated in ECE teaching, which featured a gastroenterology physician and real patient cases in their final class session. Upon completion of the classes, both groups took a posttest. At the end of the semester, both groups were assigned the task of writing an original science communication on any physiology-related topic. The effectiveness of ECE was assessed by comparing posttest scores, the frequency of online self-directed learning, and the number of science communications addressing the digestive system between the two groups. Additionally, a questionnaire was administered to assess the experimental group's perceptions of the ECE teaching method.

Results: The posttest scores and the rates of excellence for the two groups showed no statistical differences. Although no difference was found in the frequency of self-directed learning between the two groups during the gastrointestinal physiology classes, the experimental group exhibited a frequency of self-directed learning that was more than twice that of the control group on the day following the physician's lecture. Furthermore, the number of science communications focusing on the digestive system was significantly higher in the experimental group compared to the control group (17/73 vs. 8/83, P < 0.05). In the questionnaire, more than 94% of the students expressed positive attitudes towards classroom-setting form of ECE with direct physician involvement and expressed a desire for this method to be applied in other chapters of physiology.

Conclusions: The classroom-setting form of ECE with direct physician involvement may not demonstrate immediate impact, but it encourages active learning, facilitates understanding of the subject's relevance, and enhances students' value output.