关键词:
Anti-bacterial agents
Respiratory tract infections
Prescriptions
Education
Medical
Problem-based learning
摘要:
Background Acute respiratory infections are a common presentation in clinical practice and medical interns must learn proper diagnosis and antibiotic prescribing. Traditional lecture-based teaching may not provide sufficient opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in realistic scenarios, whereas computer case-based simulations offer an alternative approach that allows active learning and decision-making in simulated patient cases. This study investigated the effectiveness of computer case-based reasoning simulation versus traditional lectures for medical interns teaching of diagnosis and antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory infections. Methods This comparative quasi-experimental study was conducted from 2020 to 2022 in the Department of Infectious Diseases at Shahid Beheshti Hospital, affiliated to Kashan University of Medical Sciences. The samples were selected using a convenience method and assigned to the intervention and control groups using a permuted block randomization approach. Over a period of ten months (Each month, an average of eight medical interns), a total of 40 medical interns received traditional lecture-based teaching, while another 40 medical interns were taught using a Computer Case-based Reasoning simulation. The medical interns' knowledge in both groups was assessed using pre- and post-tests. The collected data from the pre- and post-tests were then analyzed statistically using paired t-tests, independent t-tests, and ANCOVA. Results The posttest scores of the medical interns in both groups were significantly higher than the pretest scores (P < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were observed between the two teaching methods regarding mean knowledge gains in diagnoses and antibiotic prescribing practices. (P > 0.21). The results of the ANCOVA, after controlling for pre-test scores, showed no statistically significant difference between the two teaching methods in their effect on medical interns' diagnostic and