Problem based learning in medical education: theory, rationale, process and implications for pakistan.

Historically, lectures were the medium to transfer cognitive information to the learners in medical education. Apprenticeship training, labs, bedside teaching, tutorials etc. were used to impart psychomotor and affective skills. It was assumed that the learner will assimilate all this knowledge and will be competent to apply this learning in practical life. Problem-based learning (PBL) emerged due to problems in building the appropriate competencies in the medical graduates and is a relatively newer mode of transfer of knowledge. This paper will deal with problem-based learning which took the world with storm in the 80's and most institutions in the world started using different variants of PBL. This paper attempts to define and explore the theoretical basis and historical background of PBL. The paper will systematically review literature and argue about the advantages and disadvantages of PBL and the implications of its implementation in Pakistan.