Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Medical Education
Farida Habib Khan, Awdah Bin Masood Alhazmi, Hend M. Alkwai, Fauwaz Fahad Alreshidi, Abdel Hafiz Bashir, Nawaf Alhazmi, Ashwaq Saud Alreshidi, Sumyiah Alhazmi, Ayesha Akbar Khalid, Osama Khattak
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ABSTRACT
Background: Pandemic of
COVID-19 has affected almost every aspect of human life. Medical Education is
profoundly affected globally because of social distancing which has prohibited
teacher-medical student and medical student-patient’s interaction. During
this paradigm shift, students both have faced different challenges. College of
Medicine, University of Ha’il is not an exception.
Aim: The aim of present study
was to assess students’ perspective to list supportive and inhibitory factors
that has affected implementation of Medical Education during COVID-19 Pandemic.
Study results would be helpful to design a feasible cost effective strategy to
minimize the effect of those inhibitory factors so our medical undergraduates
of coming academic year attains maximum competencies during this period of
pandemic.
Methodology: It was a cross sectional study conducted in College of Medicine, University of
Ha’il from November 2020 till February 2021. Our study respondents were
undergraduate MBBS male and female students who were attending online sessions
since March 2020.
Results: Eighty-two percentage of students
learned digital technology, gained confidence and
self-efficacy (61%) hence their metacognitive learning ability has increased
(71%). As the lectures are being recorded, students found online lecturing more
useful (88%) as compared to classroom.
Flipped Learning was liked by 70%. Online teaching saves time (89%) its low
cost (89%) and there is there is flexibility of location (90%). Main barrier (95%)
to online learning is its dependency on Internet availability. Students’ could
not concentrate properly andthey were not satisfied with online assessment (65%
& 68% respectively). Even the motivated students answered that Problem
Based Learning sessions were not delivered effectively as it was before when it
was by physical presence (p≤0.000).Community and patients’ care skills could not be
developed by online learning instructions (p≤0.05).
Conclusion: Students learned digital
technology and developed metacognitive ability so become more responsible for
their learning tasks as they were before pandemic. As teaching sessions are
recorded that helps them in revision. However, online sessions are not suitable
to learn soft skills. Student-patients’ interaction is a mandatory element in
order to learn competency.
Key Words: Medical Education, COVID-19
Pandemic, Impact