Multidisciplinary case-based small group discussions to integrate basic medical sciences with clinical situations

Abstract

Objectives Integration of the basic medical sciences with clinical medicine motivates medical students by showing how the fundamental concepts they have learned will come into their future practice. In this context, we created clinical integration sessions (CIS) in our first-year medical curriculum. Methods The instructors of different disciplines wrote the clinical scenarios together. The scenarios were discussed in five sessions with 39 first-year students. The first session's scenario consisted of four brief anemia cases. The next four sessions included a single case, according to the feedback of the students. Students formed groups of 7-8 participants. In the first 2 h, the scenarios were discussed in the groups and questions were answered by the students. In the third hour, the instructors answered the questions together with the students. After the first CIS, written feedback obtained from the students via a survey. Results The survey provided positive feedback on the benefits of active learning within small group discussions, and most of the students thought that their background was sufficient to solve the cases, with some literature search. Conclusion The scenarios, which provide multidisciplinary integration of basic medical sciences and clinical medicine, can be useful educational materials.