Medical students' satisfaction with the Applied Basic Clinical Seminar with Scenarios for Students, a novel simulation-based learning method in Greece

Abstract

Purpose: The integration of simulation-based learning (SBL) methods holds promise for improving the medical education system in Greece. The Applied Basic Clinical Seminar with Scenarios for Students (ABCS3) is a novel two-day SBL course that was designed by the Scientific Society of Hellenic Medical Students. The ABCS3 targeted undergraduate medical students and consisted of three core components: the case-based lectures, the ABCDE hands-on station, and the simulation-based clinical scenarios. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the general educational environment of the course, as well as the skills and knowledge acquired by the participants.

Methods: Two sets of questions were distributed to the participants: the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire and an internally designed feedback questionnaire (InEv). A multiple-choice examination was also distributed prior to the course and following its completion. A total of 176 participants answered the DREEM questionnaire, 56 the InEv, and 60 the MCQs.

Results: The overall DREEM score was 144.61 (±28.05) out of 200. Delegates who participated in both the case-based lectures and the interactive scenarios core components scored higher than those who only completed the case-based lecture session (P=0.038). The mean overall feedback score was 4.12 (±0.56) out of 5. Students scored significantly higher on the post-test than on the pre-test (P<0.001).

Conclusion: The ABCS3 was found to be an effective SBL program, as medical students reported positive opinions about their experiences and exhibited improvements in their clinical knowledge and skills.

Keywords: Greece; Medical education; Personality inventory; Surveys and questionnaires.

Fig. 1.

The evaluation instruments used. The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) and the internal evaluation (InEv) were used to assess the educational environment, while the multiple-choice questions (MCQs) evaluated knowledge acquired in the seminar. ^a)230 participants took part in the seminar, of whom 60 were in the full category (lectures and scenarios), while 170 formed the observers (OB) category (lectures only). ^b)The DREEM instrument was distributed to both full and OB participants after the completion of the seminar. A total of 53 (30.1%) full and 123 (69.9%) OB participants responded. ^c)The InEv instrument was distributed only to the full category (56 of 60 answered). ^d) The MCQs were distributed to the full participants, before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the completion of the seminar with a 100% response rate (60 replies).

Fig. 2.

Simulation-based clinical scenarios Sc10 and Sc5 achieved the highest general satisfaction score on the InEv inventory, while Sc2 received the lowest.