Factors affecting the use and attitude towards medical resources and educational methods in a Saudi medical school

Medical colleges are using various teaching methods and educational resources in education. In order to explore the attitude of medical students towards these educational methods and resources and the factors playing a major role in their use in a medical school in an Arabic culture, a self answered questionnaire was directed to 283 medical students in their clinical years. Questions on the possible factors which affect the attendance and the use of these education resources were also included. Traditional methods of teaching, lectures, and clinical rounds were found to be the backbone of the educational process in this college. Attendance to lectures was related to both quality of subjects and to the lecturer, emphasizing the importance of a good lecture and lecturer. Clinical bedside teaching was found to be a popular and effective way of teaching medical knowledge, skill, and patient interactions to medical students. The library in this college was the least used resource and student appreciation of its importance was very low. General recommendations are to reduce dependence on lectures gradually in clinical years and to introduce new methods of clinical teaching.