Perception of Medical Students Towards COVID-19 Outbreak and Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia and Impact on Education

Abstract

Background: A Movement Control Order (MCO) was imposed as a control measure to curb the spread of COVID-19 virus in Malaysia, eventually led to the closing of all public premises including educational institutions nationwide. The purpose of this study is to offer an understanding of undergraduate medical students’ perception towards the occurrence of COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of MCO and their impacts on education. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used to collect data from 772 medical students over 2 weeks in September 2020 through an online self-reported survey. Results: In total, 80% of the participants were aware about the COVID-19 outbreak ranging from the modes of transmission, global and local scenario of the pandemic, its seriousness and measures to break the chain of transmission. Conclusions: Majority of them agreed on the implementation of MCO in the country, however it’s reported to have caused psychological and physical distress in various degrees. The present finding also provides evidence of a high prevalence of anxiety and worriness in regard to the teaching and learning process during the MCO and agreed that online teaching is not as effective as face-to-face teaching.

Delivering Effective Medical Education in the Midst of a Pandemic-A Reflective Narrative

“…Medical schools can provide learning opportunities during the period prior to commencement of internship and the training hospitals may need to provide extra support during the duration of internship as well. The exact impact is still unclear as many in this cohort are now in their internship years (7) (11). However initial anecdotal reports indicate there are difficulties in coping with the rigors of internship among this cohort of young doctors.…”

“…(10) These are real concerns and their documented effects on mental health and well-being underlined the importance of having good clear communication with the students throughout the pandemic, with the provision of mentoring online and the availability to address concerns online to ensure student wellbeing. (11) Open, frank, and reliable communication channels to ensure information was dispersed to the student body as well as inviting and acting on feedback helped to reassure students during this challenging time as well.…”

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“…As the only teaching and learning option available during trying times, online learning has provided flexibility with the study hours and environment as some of its advantages [13]. On the other hand, online learning might alleviate the motivation of learning, which further limits students-teachers engagement and promotes anxiety experienced by students [13], [14]. A study to investigate challenges of home learning during MCO among Universiti Teknologi MARA Pahang students by Mohamed et al [15] discovered a similar finding in which home learning led to loss of interest towards the subject.…”