Design, implementation, and evaluation of an integrated PBL bridge course in basic medical sciences: a seven‑year project evaluation with longitudinal follow‑up

Traditional discipline‑based medical curricula often separate basic sciences from clinical training, leaving students struggling to integrate knowledge when faced with complex clinical problems. Existing integration strategies, such as organ‑system-based curricula or early clinical exposure, either require costly full‑scale curriculum restructuring or lack structured mechanisms for synthesizing basic and clinical knowledge. Transitional bridge courses positioned at the basic‑clinical interface offer a promising alternative, yet few have been systematically evaluated or provide longitudinal evidence of impact on students' clinical transition or clinical reasoning in practice.

We designed and implemented a 36‑hour integrated Problem‑Based Learning (PBL) bridge course for clinical medicine undergraduates, strategically positioned after core basic sciences and before clinical clerkships. Using a descriptive project evaluation design with quantitative surveys and open-ended comment sections, we assessed student performance across seven consecutive cohorts (N = 1,072) and conducted a longitudinal follow‑up survey during clinical training (N = 334). Evaluation tools included a 16‑item process‑oriented rubric (self‑, peer‑, and tutor‑assessed), summative knowledge tests, and multi‑dimensional student perception questionnaires.

Student performance was consistently high (all cohort means > 90; excellent rate 81.06%). No significant difference was found among cohorts (F (6,1065) = 1.178, p = 0.315). Case and tutor evaluations were positive (integration/fidelity highest, both > 4.5; interest lowest, 4.15 ± 0.07). Course model top items were "strengthened basic‑clinical linkage" (4.72 ± 0.46) and "helped construct a coherent medical knowledge framework" (4.70 ± 0.46), while learning environment scored lower (4.22 ± 0.59). Longitudinal follow‑up showed that students perceived lasting value: they most strongly endorsed the course's role in improving their ability to apply basic science to explain clinical phenomena (4.73 ± 0.45) and better prepared them for clinical transition (4.67 ± 0.47).

A strategically placed, low‑curricular‑disruption integrated PBL bridge course was perceived to enhance knowledge integration and clinical reasoning, with consistent outcomes across cohorts and perceived lasting benefits into clinical training. The systematic faculty development program, multi‑source evaluation framework, and detailed teaching resources make this model replicable for other institutions seeking to address basic‑clinical disconnection without a costly full‑scale overhaul.