Building upon the foundational science curriculum with physiology-based grand rounds: a multi-institutional program...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physiology
• Clinical Reasoning

Background:

• Integrating physiology into patient care can enhance clinical reasoning.
• Clinical Physiology Grand Rounds (CPGR) is a case-based teaching method connecting clinical presentations with basic science concepts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the implementation of CPGR at two institutions.
• To assess student-reported outcomes of the CPGR program.

Main Methods:

• Surveys were administered to students participating in CPGR at Columbia University (P&S) and Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).
• Student feedback was collected on the benefits of attending, the impact of concept maps, and the mixed-learner environment.

Main Results:

• Students reported improved recall of clinical presentations (92.9%) and deeper understanding of concepts (87.5%) when physiology was understood.
• Both clinical (92.5%) and preclinical (93.1%) students valued the mixed-learner environment.
• Similar benefits were reported across both institutions despite variations in implementation.

Conclusions:

• CPGR is a replicable teaching method that enhances the integration of physiology into clinical reasoning.
• Key benefits include improved knowledge retention and a deeper understanding of physiological concepts.
• A mixed-learner environment and concept maps are valuable components of CPGR.