Implementing bilingual education in gastrointestinal surgery: theory, practice, and insights from China

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured Chinese-English bilingual teaching model in the context of gastrointestinal surgery education, focusing on both theoretical learning and clinical practice in Chinese setting.

A total of 100 medical students undergoing training in gastrointestinal surgery at Jiangmen Central Hospital were randomly assigned to a bilingual group (n = 50) or a control group (n = 50). The bilingual group received integrated instruction combining Chinese and English materials, including bilingual explanations of terminology, interactive case discussions, and clinically applied language practice. The control group received traditional monolingual (Chinese) teaching. Outcomes were assessed through clinical competency examinations-evaluating theoretical knowledge, literature analysis, and practical skills-and a teaching quality questionnaire.

The bilingual group scored significantly higher in overall clinical competency (81.10 ± 7.19 vs. 73.50 ± 8.01, P < 0.001), with notable improvements in frontier literature analysis (25.24 ± 2.40 vs. 21.36 ± 3.26, P < 0.001) and clinical practice skills (24.18 ± 2.49 vs. 21.18 ± 3.10, P < 0.001). Theoretical knowledge scores were comparable between groups (P = 0.458). Questionnaire results indicated significantly greater satisfaction in the bilingual group across all domains, including professional English mastery (p < 0.001), with 76% overall satisfaction versus 32% in the control group (P < 0.001).

The integrated bilingual education model significantly enhances competencies in literature interpretation, clinical reasoning, and student engagement without compromising acquisition of core knowledge. These findings support the adoption of bilingual strategies in medical education systems where English is a foreign language, highlighting its potential to cultivate globally competent surgical professionals.