Medical students' attitudes toward basic sciences: influence of a primary care curriculum

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Curriculum Development
• Basic Sciences

Background:

• Growing interest in family medicine and primary care necessitates evaluating basic science relevance in medical education.
• Traditional medical curricula face challenges in maintaining student engagement with basic sciences due to perceived lack of clinical applicability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare medical students' attitudes toward basic sciences in two distinct pre-clinical curricula.
• To investigate the impact of a student-centered, primary care-focused curriculum versus a conventional, teacher-centered approach on attitudes towards basic sciences.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving two pre-clinical medical school curricula: conventional and Primary Care Curriculum (PCC).
• Attitude scales administered to students in both curricula over two terms of the first year.
• The PCC integrated basic and clinical sciences through patient problems in small group tutorials, contrasting with the conventional lecture-based format.

Main Results:

• Students in the conventional curriculum exhibited increased cynicism regarding curriculum relevance.
• Students in the Primary Care Curriculum (PCC) did not show increased cynicism, indicating a more positive attitude towards basic sciences.
• The PCC's integrated, problem-based approach appeared to foster better student attitudes.

Conclusions:

• Modifying educational methods, particularly integrating early primary care experiences, can positively influence medical students' attitudes toward basic sciences.
• A student-centered approach focused on clinical relevance may enhance the perceived value of foundational scientific knowledge.