Educational intervention to improve preclinical academic performance: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Higher Education Studies
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Student academic failure is a significant challenge in higher education.
• Resource limitations often constrain faculty and program support for struggling students.
• This review focuses on educational interventions to enhance preclinical medical performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review experimental studies on educational interventions for preclinical medical students.
• To identify effective strategies for improving academic performance in early medical training.
• To synthesize evidence on the impact of interventions on student learning and attitudes.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Knowledge, ERIC, and Scopus databases (1987-2018).
• Inclusion criteria: interventional studies assessing educational interventions for preclinical academic performance.
• Quality assessment using a validated tool for evidence-based medical education review.

Main Results:

• Ten studies met the inclusion criteria for final evaluation.
• The Kirkpatrick Model was utilized for analysis and synthesis of study findings.
• Interventions showed positive student responses to new teaching methods, self-monitoring, and physiological needs.

Conclusions:

• New teaching strategies, self-monitoring skills, and sleep hygiene positively influence medical student learning.
• These interventions impact learning within cognitive domains outlined by Bloom's Taxonomy.
• Medical students exhibit favorable attitudes towards innovative pedagogical approaches.