<div>Use of a problem-based learning teaching model for undergraduate medical and nursing education: a systematic review and meta-analysis</div>

Abstract

ObjectivesThe aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the problem-based learning (PBL) method as an alternative to conventional educational methods in Iranian undergraduate medical courses.Materials and methodsWe systematically searched international datasets banks, including PubMed, Scopus, and Embase, and internal resources of banks, including MagirIran, IranMedex, IranDoc, and Scientific Information Database (SID), using appropriate search terms, such as “PBL”, “problem-based learning”, “based on problems”, “active learning”, and“ learner centered”, to identify PBL studies, and these were combined with other key terms such as “medical”, “undergraduate”, “Iranian”, “Islamic Republic of Iran”, “I.R. of Iran”, and “Iran”. The search included the period from 1980 to 2016 with no language limits.ResultsOverall, a total of 1,057 relevant studies were initially found, of which 21 studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Of the 21 studies, 12 (57.14%) had a high methodological quality. Considering the pooled effect size data, there was a significant difference in the scores (standardized mean difference [SMD]=0.80, 95% CI [0.52, 1.08], P<0.000) in favor of PBL, compared with the lecture-based method. Subgroup analysis revealed that using PBL alone is more favorable compared to using a mixed model with other learning methods such as lecture-based learning (LBL).ConclusionThe results of this systematic review showed that using PBL may have a positive effect on the academic achievement of undergraduate medical courses. The results suggest that teachers and medical education decision makers give more attention on using this method for effective and proper training.

Alinhamento de Diferentes Projetos Pedagógicos de Cursos de Medicina com as Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais

“…Os métodos centrados no estudante, frequentemente chamados de metodologias ativas de ensino-aprendizagem 4 , caracterizam-se por buscar a integração de saberes com atitudes pautadas na reflexão sobre a prática, contribuindo para o desenvolvimento de competências 5,6 . Como principais características desses métodos destacam-se a promoção de proatividadecomprometimento do aluno no processo, vinculação da aprendizagem à realidade e à capacidade para nela intervir, além da colaboração e cooperação entre pares 7,8 . Ainda, os egressos das escolas médicas que utilizam metodologias centradas no estudante deveriam demonstrar foco de atuação no cuidado.…”

Training and evaluation of professional competency in pediatric nursing: perspective of university professors

“…Another challenge to be overcome (as pointed out by the professors) is the difficulty of adapting nursing students to active teaching methods for forming professional competency in pediatrics in order to overcome traditional education, which induces the student from the very early age to passively receive content to be learned through the teacher-student transmission (21) .…”

Editorial: Problem Based Learning: A Way Forward for the Modern Times

“…Many Universities around the World has already adopted problem based learning in their curricula be it arts, law, science, medicine and engineering. PBL has positive effect in academia and an effective and relevant method with relevant cognitive advantage [4].…”