Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27226912›Full record

ArticleSultan Qaboos University medical journal2016

Understanding Preclerkship Medical Students' Poor Performance in Prescription Writing.

Henry James, Khalid A J Al Khaja, Yasin I Tayem, Sindhan Veeramuthu, Reginald P Sequeira

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Sultan Qaboos University medical journal, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Henry JamesDepartment of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
Khalid A J Al KhajaDepartment of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
Yasin I TayemDepartment of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
Sindhan VeeramuthuDepartment of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
Reginald P SequeiraDepartment of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
Arabian Gulf University · BH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThis study aimed to explore reasons for poor performance in prescription writing stations of the objective structured practical examination (OSPE) and absenteeism in prescription writing sessions among preclerkship medical students at the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) in Manama, Bahrain.

methodsThis descriptive study was carried out between September 2014 and June 2015 among 157 preclerkship medical students at AGU. Data were collected using focus group discussions and a questionnaire with closed- and open-ended items.

resultsAll 157 students participated in the study (response rate: 100.0%). The most frequently cited reasons for poor performance in OSPE stations were an inability to select the correct drugs (79.6%), treatment duration (69.4%), drug quantity (69.4%) and drug formulation (68.2%). Additionally, students reported inadequate time for completing the stations (68.8%). During focus group discussions, students reported other reasons for poor performance, including examination stress and the difficulty of the stations. Absenteeism was attributed to the length of each session (55.4%), lack of interest (50.3%), reliance on peers for information (48.4%) and optional attendance policies (47.1%). Repetitive material, large group sessions, unmet student expectations and the proximity of the sessions to summative examinations were also indicated to contribute to absenteeism according to open-ended responses or focus group discussions.

conclusionThis study suggests that AGU medical students perform poorly in prescription writing OSPE stations because of inadequate clinical pharmacology knowledge. Participation in prescription writing sessions needs to be enhanced by addressing the concerns identified in this study. Strategies to improve attendance and performance should take into account the learner-teacher relationship.

Indexed as

AbsenteeismBahrainDrug PrescriptionsFormulariesInappropriate PrescribingMedical EducationMedical Students

Identifiers

PMID27226912
PMCPMC4868520
OpenAlexW2362916491

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.