A Comparative Study of Seminars Combined with Case-Based Learning versus Lecture-Based Learning for Cancer Pain Teaching in Medical Oncology Internship

Abstract

Yan Yang,1,2 Jing-hao Yao,1,2 Ling-jie Xu,1,3 Zheng-guang Zhou,1,2 Ming-xi Wang,1,2 Zi-shu Wang,1,2 Fu-you Zhao1,2 1Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Oncology, School of Clinical Medicine, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Nursing, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Fu-you ZhaoDepartment of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, 233000, Anhui, People’s Republic of ChinaTel [phone]Email [email protected]: To determine whether the teaching method of seminars combined with case-based learning (CBL) is superior to the traditional lecture-based learning (LBL) for teaching cancer pain in medical oncology internship.Methods: Sixty medical and nursing interns in the medical oncology department of our hospital were selected between January 2019 and December 2020. Thirty students received traditional LBL instruction as the control group, and 30 students received combined seminars and CBL instruction as the observation group. The teaching evaluation and assessment was performed by theoretical and practical examinations and questionnaires.Results: In the after-class examination, case analysis, clinical practice and overall scores of the observation group were higher than those of the control group (all p < 0.001). Theoretical knowledge scores did not differ significantly between the two groups (p = 0.470). In the questionnaire regarding attitudes towards opioid use, the observation group had better perceptions of using opioids than the control group (all p < 0.01). In the meantime, students in the observation group outperformed the control group in four aspects: self-learning (p < 0.001), analytical and problem-solving (p < 0.001), clinical thinking (p = 0.001), and clinical practice (p = 0.002) abilities all improved, while stimulating learning interest (p = 0.184) and enhancing theoretical knowledge mastery (p = 0.221) were not significantly different from those of the control group. Overall, students in the observation group were more satisfied with the teaching, teaching methods and teacher performances than the control group (all p < 0.001).Conclusion: Compared to the LBL, the combination of seminars and CBL is a more effective teaching method for cancer pain management, which is worth further study.Keywords: cancer pain teaching, seminar method, case-based learning, lecture-based learning, comparative study

Keywords

• cancer pain teaching
• seminar method
• case-based learning
• lecture-based learning
• comparative study