Recall of physiology knowledge among medical interns: an exploratory study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The aim of the study was to explore the factors associated with the recall of basic medical physiology knowledge among medical interns and to determine the level of retained basic science knowledge. Two hundred and four interns, 114 women and 90 men, working in two major tertiary medical care centers, King Fahad Medical City (KFMC; 29 students) and King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH; 117 students), in Riyadh city, participated in the study. An anonymous knowledge test with 10 validated multiple-choice questions was developed specifically for this purpose. One hundred and forty-six interns (117 working at KKUH and 29 at KFMC) had graduated from medical schools adopting a conventional instructional system, whereas 58 (3 from KKUH and 55 from KFMC had graduated from schools adopting an integrated system (hybrid problem-based learning). Fifty-two students (26%) gained a score ≥60%, whereas 152 students (74%) obtained <60% of the score. Higher scores were associated with younger age ( P < 0.01), traditional curriculum ( P < 0.001), interns from KKUH ( P < 0.001), and candidates for postgraduate studies ( P < 0.02). There was no significant association between recall of physiology knowledge and all other variables studied, including sex. Multivariate analyses show that age and traditional curriculum are the only significant predictors of knowledge retention. Almost three-fourths of the interns scored <60%, and higher scores were significantly associated with younger interns, traditional curriculum, working in KKUH, and interns preparing for graduate studies. However, the difference between the two curricula disappears when the influence of hospital training is considered.

Recall of Prior Knowledge in Medical Microbiology Among Medical Interns: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Assessment in Saudi Arabia

“…This finding was not observed when testing for other basic fields. 4 , 14 , 15 The only probable reason to explain the better performance of interns from private colleges is that is that their entrance qualification for medical schools was foreign secondary schools’ certificates (eg, General Certificate of Education Advanced level and Scholastic Assessment Test). This means that they are more familiar with English as a language of instruction than interns from governmental universities prior to enrolling in the medical schools.…”

“… 3 For instance, AlMohanna, and co-authors 2018 reported significant loss of prior immunology and physiology knowledge among medical graduates during their internship training. 4 Retention of basic sciences knowledge is significantly associated with performance in certifying and licensing examinations. 5 Lower scores have been observed in the basic medical sciences (step 1) of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) as compared to clinical subjects (step 2), since perceived relevance appears to facilitate knowledge retention 6 suggesting that nonuse or nonpractice of previously taught knowledge and skills seems to be the primary determinant of the degree of this loss.…”

“…Medical graduates are expected to enhance their clinical experience based on proper comprehension of such basic sciences courses. Previous studies have already addressed the recall of knowledge in basic sciences such as biochemistry, pharmacology, and physiology, 4 , 13–15 To the best of our knowledge, no study regarding microbiology recall by medical interns was undertaken in the Middle East, more so in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Therefore, the present study aims to fill this gap and investigate the recall of prior microbiology knowledge among senior medical interns trained in multiple medical institutions in Riyadh, KSA.…”

Basic Medical Sciences and Problem-Based Learning: Pitfalls and Possible Improvement From the Perspective of Teachers and Students

“…1 Sudut pandang lainnya yang digunakan pada penelitian yang menilai penerapan PBL pada pembelajaran ilmu dasar kedokteran adalah retensi ilmu sebagaimana yang dilakukan oleh Mayner dkk., 10 Pourshanazari dkk., 11 McBride dan Drake, 12 Doomernik dkk., 13 dan AlMohanna dkk. 14 Penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Mayner dkk. mendapatkan hasil retensi ilmu yang lebih baik pada mahasiswa yang mempelajari ilmu dasar keperawatan dengan metode PBL.…”

“…13 Hasil yang berbeda didapatkan pada penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Al Mohanna dkk yaitu retensi ilmu pada mahasiswa yang mempelajari ilmu dasar kedokteran dengan metode konvensional lebih baik dibandingkan mahasiswa yang menggunakan metode PBL. 14 Berbagai penelitian telah dilakukan dengan menggunakan berbagai sudut pandang untuk menilai penerapan PBL pada pembelajaran ilmu dasar kedokteran.…”