Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.
Anat Sci Educ. 2020 Nov;13(6):671-679. doi: 10.1002/ase.2020. Epub 2020 Oct 15.
Covid-19 has spread globally, affecting all nations. Preventive measures were implemented by governments including the closure of universities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the student's perspectives and experiences on the shift to remote preclinical medical education while inquiring whether there has been any psychological impact on the students. A customized questionnaire utilizing Likert-scale-based questions and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 assessment tool was distributed online to enrolled preclinical medical students at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Malta. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data gathered was carried out. Multivariate logistic regression analyses was performed to establish independent variables associated with anxiety symptoms. A total of 172 responded out of a cohort of 299 preclinical students (58%). The majority perceived a positive learning experience following the shift to remote lectures, however, it was not the case for small group teaching including dissection sessions. Nonetheless students reported concerns about their education, examinations, progression to next academic year and wellbeing. Less than half the students exhibited symptoms of anxiety. Students exhibiting "moderate" worry (OR:7.6; CI 95%:1.98-29.31; P < 0.01) and "severe" worry (OR: 2.0; CI 95%: 5.0-80.5; P < 0.01) on their mental, emotional, and wellbeing due to Covid-19 were associated with anxiety symptoms after adjusting for cofounders. Apart from the short-term effects, the Covid-19 pandemic may have a long-term impact on both the medical education and the students' future careers. It is important that the implemented changes in medical education are recorded and studied since such data will be essential on how to proceed post-Covid-19 pandemic.
新冠疫情已在全球范围内蔓延，影响到所有国家。各国政府都采取了预防措施，包括关闭大学。本研究旨在评估学生对远程基础医学教育转变的看法和体验，同时调查这是否对学生造成任何心理影响。我们向马耳他大学医学院和外科学院的基础医学学生发放了一份利用李克特量表问题和广泛性焦虑障碍-7 评估工具定制的在线问卷。对收集到的数据进行了定量和定性分析。采用多元逻辑回归分析确定与焦虑症状相关的独立变量。在 299 名基础医学学生中，共有 172 名学生（58%）做出了回应。大多数学生认为远程讲座转变后学习体验良好，但小组教学（包括解剖课程）的情况并非如此。尽管如此，学生们仍对自己的教育、考试、进入下一个学年的进度和福祉表示担忧。不到一半的学生表现出焦虑症状。表现出“中度”担忧（OR：7.6；95%CI：1.98-29.31；P<0.01）和“重度”担忧（OR：2.0；95%CI：5.0-80.5；P<0.01）的学生与调整混杂因素后的新冠疫情对学生心理健康、情绪和福祉的影响有关。除了短期影响外，新冠疫情可能会对医学教育和学生未来的职业发展产生长期影响。记录和研究医学教育中实施的变革非常重要，因为这些数据对于了解如何在新冠疫情后继续推进至关重要。
