https://doi.org/10.5812/erms.84507

Satisfaction of Medical Students with Courses Offered in the Community Medicine Center in Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (2016 - 2017)

authors:

avatar Mohamad Reza Salahshoor ORCID 1 , avatar Alireza Alikhani 2 , * , avatar Keyvan Soltani 3 , avatar Fatemeh Makalani 2 , avatar Hosna Kalhor 2

Department of Anatomical Sciences, Medical School, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Deputy of Medical Education Development Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Department of Family Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Educational Research in Medical Sciences: Vol.8, issue 1; e84507
published online: January 19, 2019
article type: Brief Report
received: September 23, 2018
accepted: December 3, 2018

how to cite: Salahshoor M R, Alikhani A, Soltani K, Makalani F, Kalhor H . Satisfaction of Medical Students with Courses Offered in the Community Medicine Center in Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (2016 - 2017). Educ Res Med Sci. 2019;8(1):e84507. https://doi.org/10.5812/erms.84507.

Abstract

Evaluating educational practices in medical sciences has always been absolutely significant, given their definite role in training human resources and that receiving feedbacks for enhancing educational activities is a relatively new subject. Identifying the causes of students’ satisfaction and analyzing all the factors therefore significantly affect the academic achievement of students and can play a key role in enhancing the quality of services. Medical sciences universities currently consider students’ attitudes towards the quality of the education provided as an essential factor in the quality monitoring of ongoing studies in this field. Given the importance of community-centered education courses and the effects of different variables on students’ satisfaction and perception of the problems and quality of educational services provided, the present study was conducted to determine the degree of satisfaction of medical interns in Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.

1. Background

Students are a major component of universities with a critical role in presenting as prospective highly skilled and expert workforce for the community. Academic satisfaction plays a key role as the main pillar of the educational system regarding the students’ knowledge about their future activities (1).

Evaluating educational practices in medical sciences has always been absolutely significant, given their special role in training human resources and that receiving feedbacks for enhancing educational activities is a relatively new subject. Examining the opinions of students, as the main audience of educational programs, can help develop one of the best and most successful teaching methods (2, 3). Recognizing the causes of satisfaction in students and analyzing all the factors can affect students’ academic achievements and may significantly improve the quality of services (2, 4).

General practitioners have effective role in healthcare teams in exposing and treating outpatients. As community-based doctors, they have key role for the awareness, diagnosis and treatment of common diseases in the community (5, 6). Limited number of studies has conducted on students’ satisfaction and different variables that affect satisfaction in the sociological training courses.

2. Objectives

The present study was conducted to investigate the problems and quality of educational services provided in Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS) through examining the perspective of medical students who spend their internship at community centers.

3. Methods

The present descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 - 2017 academic year to determine the satisfaction of medical interns who spent their community-based internship in the community-based center of Samen Al-Aemeh and the hospitals affiliated to KUMS. The study population comprised 92 medical students selected through convenience sampling. The data collection tool consisted of a researcher-made questionnaire with two sections, one associated with demographic information, facilities and other hardware resources and the other related to satisfaction with the scientific impact of the course. The questionnaire was examined in terms of four criteria, namely transparency, relevance, importance and degree of feasibility. The questionnaire validity was verified by the professors of the university. The questionnaire reliability was confirmed by the students calculating a Cronbach alpha of 90%. The items were scored on a three-point Likert scale, including good, moderate and dissatisfied levels.

4. Results

Females comprised 51% of the students, who had a mean age 25.3 ± 1.1 years. The students participating in the study had been admitted to the university in 2009 (19.5%), 2010 (70.7%) and 2012 (9.8%).

The students’ dissatisfaction in the academic evaluation of the courses was related to the disproportion between the course length and the educational goals (36.6%) and the lack of cooperation of the patients with the students’ examinations (39.5%).

Furthermore, the areas causing the students’ satisfaction included the professors’ proper accountability (96.7%), their timely and regular presence (56.9%) and providing scientific education about communication with the patient (56.9%). The indices regarding the students’ satisfaction with the general medical internship course based on community-based medicine courses were evaluated (Table 1).

Table 1.

The Evaluated Indices Regarding the Satisfaction of General Medical Internship Students with Community-Based Medical Centersa

Evaluation DomainsGoodModerateDissatisfied
1. Facilities of the dressing room pavilion 1317.469.6
2. Access to scientific resources 15.718.366
3. The degree of customer collaboration with student education examinations 39.535.225.3
4. Appropriate course length with educational goals 36.636.626.8
5. Regular and timely presence of professors 56.931.911.2
6. Proper accountability of the professors 96.72.21.1
7. Scientific education of how to deal with a patient 56.936.66.5
8. Possibility of direct visit and obtaining a biography 40.833.825.4
9. Introduction of common diseases by professors 5033.316.7
10. Sufficient number of patients (Number of those admitted) 54.231.814
11. Variety of educational patients (type of disease and usefulness) 48.736.115.2
12. Learning how to refer 41.634.723.7
13. Learning how to track and solve patients' problems 4334.522.5
14. Teaching how to achieve diagnosis by professors 4546.58.5
15. Healthcare education (vaccination, disease prevention, family health services, etc.) 4642.511.5
16. Effects of course on students' knowledge and attitudes (garment field) 443719
17. The effectiveness of psychiatric clinic on students’ information and attitudes 493021
18. Influence of internal clinic on students’ knowledge and attitudes 4634.719.3
19. Effect of skin clinic on students’ knowledge and attitudes 45.228.826
20. The effect of women’s clinic on students’ information and attitudes 43.543.812.7
21. The influence of pediatric clinic on students’ information and attitudes 39.732.328
22. The degree of efficiency and applicability of the entire course 44.934.820.3
23. The extent of the presence in the field of writing skills 35.737.127.2
24. Applicability of trainings for the future 44.33025.7
25. The efficacy of community-based medical education in a 2-week fixed-duration routine 422929
26. The interest in attending the field of medical education community in the future 41.435.623
27. The efficacy of community-based education in 2 - 6 days visits from sections 1 to 3 months 39.233.327.5
28. Overall satisfaction with the quality of education 462925

aValues are expressed as percentage.

5. Discussion

The present research found the professors’ proper accountability (96.7%), their timely and regular presence (56.9%) and providing scientific education about communication with the patients (56.9%) to be the areas of student satisfaction, whereas the study conducted by Eslamipour et al. in Isfahan attributed the lowest satisfaction with the lack of timely presence of professors for exchanging information with the students in the scientific environment, unclear evaluation criteria and the attitude of the professors to the patient bedside. Moreover, the results of the study conducted by Khosravi and Khadivi on the quality of health field from the perspective of the clerkships and internships of Shahrekord Medical School showed that below 50% of the internships were satisfied with planning methods, presentation of the topic and the students’ attendance (7, 8).

The present study found the students’ satisfaction with the effect of the courses offered in specialized clinics and with the effectiveness and applicability of community-based courses to be below average (44.9%). It is in line with the results of the study conducted by Khezrian et al. in Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences in 2014, and the study by Farzianpour et al. on students’ satisfaction with the quality of educational programs in internship courses in Tehran University of Medical Sciences (9, 10).

5.1. Conclusions

Given the purpose of the study, i.e. determining the problems and evaluating the quality of educational services in the community-based center from the perspective of medical students, and the efforts made by the university principals and policy makers to fulfill the goals and ensure the educational quality, it is necessary to note that the results of the present research indicate the satisfaction of nearly half of the students in most of the studied areas. Furthermore, the authorities can be argued to hold a special attitude in this area.

Acknowledgements

References

  • 1.

    DeVoe J, Fryer Jr GE, Hargraves JL, Phillips RL, Green LA. Does career dissatisfaction affect the ability of family physicians to deliver high-quality patient care? J Fam Pract. 2002;51(3):223-8. [PubMed ID: 11978232].

  • 2.

    Alikhani A, Salahshoor MR. Viewpoint of graduate students on holding special English language courses at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2016. Educ Res Med Sci. 2017;6(1):51-2.

  • 3.

    Grembowski D, Paschane D, Diehr P, Katon W, Martin D, Patrick DL. Managed care, physician job satisfaction, and the quality of primary care. J Gen Intern Med. 2005;20(3):271-7. [PubMed ID: 15836532]. [PubMed Central ID: PMC1490070]. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1497.2005.32127.x.

  • 4.

    Hakim A. Nursing students' satisfaction about their field of study. J Adv Med Educ Prof. 2014;2(2):82-7. [PubMed ID: 25512925]. [PubMed Central ID: PMC4235554].

  • 5.

    Sahney S, Banwet DK, Karunes S. An integrated framework for quality in education: Application of quality function deployment, interpretive structural modelling and path analysis. Total Qual Manag Bus Excell. 2007;17(2):265-85. https://doi.org/10.1080/14783360500450376.

  • 6.

    Eyal N, Hurst SA. Physician brain drain: Can nothing be done? Pub Health Ethics. 2008;1(2):180-92. https://doi.org/10.1093/phe/phn026.

  • 7.

    Eslamipour F, Shirban F, Refaei P. [Assessment of dental students' satisfaction of clinical departments in Isfahan dental school]. Iran J Med Educ. 2011;10(5):625-33. Persian.

  • 8.

    Khosravi S, Khadivi R. [The viewpoints of interns and clerkship students about community medicine course]. Iran J Med Educ. 2004;4(2):123-8. Persian.

  • 9.

    Heydari F, Amini M, Mannani A, Esfandiari S, Kalantari Meibodi M. [Education in emergency department from the viewpoint of medical students]. Iran J Emerg Med. 2015;2(2):93-7. Persian.

  • 10.

    Farzianpour F, Eshraghian MR, Emami AH, Hosseini S. [Assessment of training and internship programs in hospitals based on a survey on Tehran University of Medical Sciences Students]. J Payavard Salamat. 2015;8(5):427-36. Persian.