Teaching Clinical Trials in Korean Medicine: Novel Modules and Student Perceptions of Importance and Achievement

Abstract

Introduction: The teaching of evidence-based medicine (EBM) is currently acknowledged to be an important aspect of the medical-education curriculum. Most programs that teach focus on knowledge transfer and skill acquisition in relation to the principle of EBM, as well as the critical appraisal. We established a 12-week elective course to teach clinical studies for undergraduate students at a Korean Medicine (KM) college, evaluating student perceptions to assess the feasibility of key teaching modules. Methods: From March 2019 to June 2019, a course was conducted, with 19 students enrolled. The course consisted of 12 modules; the last 3 classes included hands-on exercises involving a simulated clinical crossover trial. The students' perceptions of the need for and learning achieved during each teaching module were evaluated using a survey on the last day of class. Results: In student assessments of the need for each module, the median score was >4 on a 5-point Likert scale. Among student self-achievement ratings for each module, the simulated clinical trial received the highest score (a median value of 5) among all modules. Conclusion: This novel class was perceived as feasible by undergraduate KM students. The findings show the importance of teaching clinical trials to improve students' critical appraisal skills; more appropriate programs and curricula should be developed in future.