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. 2020 Mar 31:9:51.
doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_29_20. eCollection 2020.

Peer education for medical students on health promotion and clinical risk management

Laura Brunelli  1   2 , Annarita Tullio  3 , Giuseppe Perri  1 , Lucia Lesa  4 , Lucrezia Grillone  1   4 , Giulio Menegazzi  5 , Corrado Pipan  1   3 , Francesca Valent  3 , Silvio Brusaferro  1 , Maria Parpinel  1
Affiliations

Peer education for medical students on health promotion and clinical risk management

Laura Brunelli et al. J Educ Health Promot. .

Abstract

Context: Health promotion (HP) and clinical risk management (CRM) topics are seldom discussed during medical school lessons. Peer-assisted learning (PAL) has long occurred informally in medical education, and interest in this method has recently grown, as it is considered a valuable technique for both tutors and tutees.

Aims: The aim was to evaluate the impact of HP and CRM PAL intervention on medical students' (tutees) knowledge level.

Settings and design: A PAL intervention has been implemented at Udine University medical school during 2017. It was composed of lectures and practical activities conducted by ten near-peer tutors.

Methods: The effectiveness has been evaluated by giving tutees: (1) a knowledge multiple-choice questionnaire, before and after the intervention; (2) a satisfaction questionnaire; and evaluating (3) tutees' group assignments.

Statistical analysis used: We performed descriptive analysis; then McNemar, Wilcoxon signed rank, Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney, and t-tests were applied.

Results: The number of students addressed by PAL intervention was 62. Difference in total correct answers among pre- and post-intervention questionnaires showed a statistically significant improvement (P < 0.0001), both when analyzing it globally and by area (HP/CRM). Students' satisfaction for CRM was greater than for HP area (P = 0.0041).

Conclusions: This educational intervention based on PAL showed its effectiveness producing a statistically significant improvement in students' knowledge. Our findings confirm that PAL could be a feasible method for HP and CRM topics.

Keywords: Education; health promotion; learning; medical students; peer group; risk management.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Box plot with percentage values from satisfaction questionnaires globally and by area
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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