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



Alosaimi, Bandar ORCID: 0000-0003-4719-2655, Saeed, Abdullah A, Mustafa, Ali A, AlJabr, Waleed A ORCID: 0000-0002-9385-2776, Batarfi, Munirah A and Hamza, Mauawia A ORCID: 0000-0002-6710-2410
(2022) Recall of Prior Knowledge in Medical Microbiology Among Medical Interns: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Assessment in Saudi Arabia. Advances in medical education and practice, 13. pp. 733-739.

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Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>Retention of basic biomedical sciences knowledge is of great importance in medical practice. This study aimed to provide some insights into medical interns' ability to recall theoretical knowledge of medical microbiology and to explore factors that affect its retention.<h4>Methods</h4>In this cross-sectional study conducted between January and March 2019, an anonymized questionnaire with 10 validated multiple-choice questions about medical microbiology was distributed as hard copies to test the ability to recall knowledge of Saudi medical interns in three tertiary training hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.<h4>Results</h4>A total of 300 medical interns [164 females (54.7%) and 136 males (45.3%)], in three major tertiary medical care centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, voluntarily participated in the study. Almost a third of participants, 107 (36.4%), graduated from medical schools adopting a traditional curriculum, whereas 184 (63.6%) graduated from medical schools adopting problem-based learning (PBL) instructional approach. The overall mean score out of 10 marks was 3.9±1.8 with almost 82% failures scoring less than six marks. Both total and pass/fail grades were significantly associated with interns who graduated from private colleges. Scores were not significantly associated with any of the investigated parameters except type of college (governmental vs private) with a <i>p</i>-value of 0.049.<h4>Conclusion</h4>The current study revealed an overall poor recall of knowledge in microbiology among interns. Our findings suggest a need for a careful revision of curriculum to correct deficiencies, particularly in teaching medical microbiology. Integration of basic sciences is required as well as aligning teaching of basic medical sciences with clinical skills.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Saudi Arabia, medical intern, microbiology curriculum, prior knowledge
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 25 Jan 2023 11:58
Last Modified: 14 Mar 2024 19:11
DOI: 10.2147/amep.s364330
Open Access URL: https://doi.org/10.2147/AMEP.S364330
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3167878