Is new always better? A comparison of an established teaching method with a new teaching method in a surgical course.

A comparison has been made between the effectiveness of a problem-solving exercise and a formal lecture on medical students' learning during their surgical attachment. The format of a clinical trail has been adapted. No difference has been shown in the knowledge conveyed by the two methods, although the students preferred the problem-solving exercise. No assessment has been made in this study of differences in the students ability to solve problems after exposure to different methods of teaching.