Problem-based learning in traditional Chinese medicine education: current applications and future directions

Problem-Based Learning (PBL), a student-centered and problem-oriented instructional approach, has increasingly been introduced into Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) education. This structured integrative review synthesizes existing empirical studies examining the application of PBL across foundational, clinical, and classical literature courses in TCM curricula. Available evidence suggests that PBL may be associated with improvements in student engagement, case-based reasoning, and collaborative learning within specific educational contexts. However, the current literature is largely composed of single-institution, quasi-experimental studies with heterogeneous outcome measures and limited long-term evaluation. In addition to summarizing reported benefits, this review identifies persistent challenges, including insufficient case standardization, variability in faculty facilitation, and misalignment between instructional design and assessment systems. Based on these findings, several directions for future research and curriculum development are outlined. Overall, while PBL represents a potentially valuable complementary instructional strategy in TCM education, further rigorous and standardized investigations are required to clarify its sustained educational impact.