Serra Michael J, Kaminske Althea N, Nebel Cynthia, Coppola Kristen M
Department of Medical Education, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA.
Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2025 Jul 17;15(7):974. doi: 10.3390/bs15070974.
Retrieval practice, or the active recall of information from memory, is a highly effective learning strategy that strengthens memory and comprehension. This effect is robust and strongly backed by research in cognitive psychology. The health professions-including medicine, nursing, and dentistry-have widely embraced retrieval practice as a learning and study tool, particularly for course exams and high-stakes licensing exams. This state-of-the-art review examines the historical development, current applications, and future directions for the use of retrieval practice in health professions education. While retrieval-based learning has long been used informally in these fields, its formal recognition as a scientifically supported study method gained momentum in the early 2000s and then saw a surge in both research interest and curricular adoption between 2010 and 2025. This historical review explores the key factors driving this growth, such as its alignment with assessment-driven education and the increasing availability of third-party study resources that rely on retrieval practice as a guiding principle. Despite its proven benefits for learning, however, barriers persist to its adoption by students, including in the health professions. This article discusses strategies for overcoming these challenges and for enhancing retrieval practice integration into health professions curricula.
检索练习，即从记忆中主动回忆信息，是一种非常有效的学习策略，可强化记忆和理解。这种效果十分显著，且得到了认知心理学研究的有力支持。包括医学、护理和牙科在内的健康专业领域已广泛将检索练习作为一种学习和备考工具，尤其是用于课程考试和高风险的执照考试。这篇前沿综述探讨了检索练习在健康专业教育中的历史发展、当前应用及未来方向。虽然基于检索的学习在这些领域长期以来一直被非正式地使用，但其作为一种有科学依据的学习方法的正式认可在21世纪初开始兴起，然后在2010年至2025年期间，研究兴趣和课程采用率都出现了激增。这篇历史综述探讨了推动这种增长的关键因素，比如它与评估驱动型教育的契合度，以及越来越多以检索练习为指导原则的第三方学习资源。然而，尽管检索练习对学习的益处已得到证实，但包括健康专业领域的学生在内，在采用它时仍存在障碍。本文讨论了克服这些挑战以及加强检索练习融入健康专业课程的策略。
