The hidden hurdles of clinical clerkship: unraveling the types and distribution of professionalism dilemmas among South Korean medical students.

BACKGROUND: To improve the medical professionalism of medical students, it is essential to understand the dilemmas they face in various situations. This study explored the types and distribution of dilemmas Korean medical students encounter during their clinical clerkships. It then compared these with previous dilemma frameworks and identified the types and distribution of "complexity dilemmas," wherein two dilemma themes emerge in a single clinical situation. METHODS: The researchers organized and recorded a group discussion with 106 third-year medical students who had completed their clinical clerkships. These students participated in the discussion as part of an assignment, focusing on the dilemmas they encountered during their clerkships. For data analysis and visualization, the researchers employed the MAXQDA software program and utilized the template analysis method, a qualitative research methodology. RESULTS: A total of seven dilemma themes and sixteen sub-themes were identified. The identity-related dilemma concerning student-doctors had the highest frequency. The themes "mismatch" and "Nun-chi" emerged as new additions not found in previous dilemma frameworks. The complexity dilemmas appeared in the sequence of "identity-dignity," "identity-abuse," and "identity-consent". CONCLUSIONS: To navigate the unique dilemmas present within South Korea's clinical culture, several key issues need consideration: elevating the role of student-doctors, balancing the primary emphasis of educational hospitals on delivering medical services, and understanding interpersonal strategies, such as "Nun-chi".

Effects of a blended design of closed-book and open-book examinations on dental students' anxiety and performance.

BACKGROUND: While closed-book examinations (CBEs) have traditionally been implemented in dental education, open-book examinations (OBEs) are being introduced for the purpose of acquiring higher levels of knowledge and promoting long-term memory. This study examines whether it is effective to use a blended assessment of CBEs and OBEs for dental students to reduce test anxiety and enhance academic performance. METHODS: Using a quasi-experimental research method, a blended assessment that combined CBEs in class and OBEs online was designed for a dental course. In 2020, when the pandemic was at its peak, student assessment was ineffective, and the 2020 cohort was omitted for our study; instead, two cohorts of predoctoral dental students (N = 178) enrolled in Restorative Dentistry in the spring semesters of 2019 and 2021 were included in the study. These students were informed about the experimental design, and they provided written consent for data collection, thereby voluntarily participating in the survey. Their self-perceived responses to open-ended survey questions on assessment methods were qualitatively analyzed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in test anxiety between the CBEs and OBEs at the p-values of 0.001 in all items. Traditional and blended assessment showed a similar trend of lower scores in midterm exams compared to higher scores in final exams, thus discriminating against students' performances. In particular, a low-achieving group was better predicted by a blended assessment. An analysis of the students' self-perceived responses produced highly topical themes, including exam burden, learning effects, and fairness issues. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the feasibility of blended assessment that can be implemented in online and in-person educational environments. Moreover, it can be used as the groundwork to develop new models of assessment in dental education.

Validation of Relationship between Patients' Descriptions of Pruritus and Patient-burden of Chronic Pruritus using Structural Equation Modelling.

Patients with chronic itch describe their pruritus in a wide variety of ways. However, these subjective descriptions are often not taken into consideration by physicians. This study aimed to validate patients' descriptions of pruritus, and to investigate the relationship between various descriptions of pruritus and the patient burden of chronic pruritus by examining the mediating effects of sleep disturbance and sexual dysfunction on patient's quality of life, as predicted by various descriptions of pruritus. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to identify the factor structure measured by 11 descriptions of pruritus. The study then analysed differences in the degree of sleep disturbance, sexual dysfunction, and quality of life deterioration factors using a structural equation modelling method. Using data from 419 patients with chronic pruritus, 11 descriptions of pruritus were classified into 2 groups: (i) sensory pruritus (i.e. stinging, stabbing, burning, painful, formication, throbbing, and cold) that are linked with descriptions of pruritus patterns; and (ii) affective pruritus (i.e. annoying, unbearable, worrisome, and warm) from patient reports of psychological or emotional distress. The study found that affective pruritus decreases patient's quality of life either directly or indirectly through sleep disturbance. In conclusion, clues about a patients' sleep disturbance or poor quality of life can be obtained through their descriptions of pruritus.