Files and links (1)
Published VersionCC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
A systematic review of medical practitioners' retention and application of basic sciences to clinical practice
BMC Medical Education, Vol.24, pp.1-12
2024
Abstract
Background
Medical education offers the foundational base for future healthcare professionals, with basic sciences playing a pivotal role in providing essential knowledge and skills for clinical practice. However, the long-term retention and application of this knowledge in clinical practice remain a significant challenge. This systematic review synthesised global evidence from diverse studies on the short / long-term retention and clinical application of basic sciences among medical doctors.
Methods
A comprehensive search was conducted across six databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, Medline, CINAHL, Emcare, and Informit. The review included studies that encompassed a variety of study designs, participant groups, and educational interventions. The Quality Assessment with Diverse Studies (QuADS) tool was utilised to assess the quality of the reviewed studies.
Results
A total of 10 studies were included in the review. The findings revealed that rehearsals significantly optimise the retention of basic science knowledge among medical practitioners. Retention varied by discipline, with medical practitioners retaining more knowledge in anatomy (mean scores ranging from 45.0 to 82.9%), while microbiology had the lowest retention score (39.1%). Factors influencing retention included age, gender, and curriculum type. Educational interventions such as targeted courses, integration of basic sciences with clinical skills, generative retrieval and continuous quality improvement in the curriculum were found to enhance both knowledge retention and clinical reasoning. The concept of ‘encapsulated knowledge’ demonstrates that integrated basic science knowledge helps in synthesising clinical presentations, reducing the need for detailed recall as clinical experience increases. The reviewed studies primarily involved interns and surgeons, leaving a significant gap in research for specialties like internal medicine and primary care/ general practice.
Conclusion
Detailed retention of basic science knowledge may diminish over time; however, the conceptual framework remains essential for ongoing learning and clinical reasoning. This review’s findings highlight the need for specialised educational interventions to improve long-term retention. Continuous professional development and targeted educational techniques are vital for maintaining clinical competence and applying basic science knowledge effectively throughout a medical career. Further research is needed to address gaps in specialty-specific knowledge application and the impact of different instructional methods.
Details
- Title
- A systematic review of medical practitioners' retention and application of basic sciences to clinical practice
- Authors
- Francis A Albert (Author) - James Cook UniversityAbdul-Aziz Seidu (Author) - James Cook UniversityHannah M Mason (Author) - James Cook UniversityEmma Anderson (Author) - James Cook UniversityFaith O Alele (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Public HealthPaula Heggarty (Author) - James Cook UniversityAaron Hollins (Author) - James Cook UniversityTarun Sen Gupta (Author) - James Cook UniversityRichard B Hays (Author) - James Cook UniversityLawrie McArthur (Author) - The University of AdelaideBunmi S Malau-Aduli (Corresponding Author) - James Cook University
- Publication details
- BMC Medical Education, Vol.24, pp.1-12
- Publisher
- BioMed Central Ltd.
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1186/s12909-024-05952-8
- ISSN
- 1472-6920
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
- Data Availability
- The dataset supporting the findings of this review is included within the article and its supplementary files.
- Grant note
- This systematic review was funded by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Public Health
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991065235002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
44 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Education & Educational Research
- Education, Scientific Disciplines
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites