Clinical Correlations as a Tool in Basic Science Medical Education

Abstract

Clinical correlations are tools to assist students in associating basic science concepts with a medical application or disease. There are many forms of clinical correlations and many ways to use them in the classroom. Five types of clinical correlations that may be embedded within basic science courses have been identified and described. (1) Correlated examples consist of superficial clinical information or stories accompanying basic science concepts to make the information more interesting and relevant. (2) Interactive learning and demonstrations provide hands-on experiences or the demonstration of a clinical topic. (3) Specialized workshops have an application-based focus, are more specialized than typical laboratory sessions, and range in complexity from basic to advanced. (4) Small-group activities require groups of students, guided by faculty, to solve simple problems that relate basic science information to clinical topics. (5) Course-centered problem solving is a more advanced correlation activity than the others and focuses on recognition and treatment of clinical problems to promote clinical reasoning skills. Diverse teaching activities are used in basic science medical education, and those that include clinical relevance promote interest, communication, and collaboration, enhance knowledge retention, and help develop clinical reasoning skills.

Presentation and evaluation of the teaching concept “ENHANCE” for basic sciences in medical education

“…This could be attributed to the fact that connected learning experiences are beneficial to student learning and engagement in coherent instructions [8]. Also, clinical correlations are explicitly used in basic science teaching to foster student interest and show relevance [27]. A few differences in the CSA gains regarding the ILOs were identified.…”

Using Clinical Cases to Restore Basic Science Immunology Knowledge in Physicians and Senior Medical Students

“…Hence, they may be more receptive to "difficult" immunology concepts when presented in a familiar teaching framework (6). Recall of basic science knowledge in clinical practice is enhanced by integration of basic science concepts with clinical content during medical school teaching (18)(19)(20)(21). This approach has been used to good effect with senior medical students to better integrate basic science and clinical medicine (13,18,22,23).…”

Using Information and Communication Technologies in Health Teaching and Learning

“…Furthermore, teaching activities that include Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) used in basic science education have been recognized to promote interest and engagement, collaboration, while improving knowledge retention and contribute to develop clinical reasoning skills [2].…”