ReviewMedical education online2016
Peer-assisted learning: time for nomenclature clarification.
Review in Medical education online, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Peer teachers as ultrasound instructors? - a systematic literature review of peer teaching concepts in undergraduate ultrasound education.BMC medical education · 2024Pooled it
- Designing near-peer mentoring for work integrated learning outcomes: a systematic review.BMC medical education · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Peer-assisted versus expert-assisted learning in virtual chest x-ray interpretation: A randomized controlled trial.Saudi medical journal · 2022Trial
- The CHIRO-Force peer-assisted learning program for manual therapy education.The Journal of chiropractic education · 2026Article
- Enhancing the performance of preclinical international medical students' in the subjects "medical psychology and medical sociology" through a peer-led revision course.GMS journal for medical education · 2026Article
- Near-peer mentorship for newly qualified doctors; what are the benefits, and what methods can be used to overcome the pitfalls?Medical education online · 2025Review
- From burnout to balance: the role of peer-assisted learning in college life.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Quality assessment of a training program for undergraduate sonography peer tutors: paving the future way for peer-assisted learning in medical ultrasound education.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Near-Peer Training: Impact of a Single Session on Students' OSCE Performance.Advances in medical education and practice · 2025Article
- Peer learning and academic burnout mitigation in medical students: a mediation analysis.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- "Between formulas and freestyle" - a qualitative analysis of peer tutor preparation and its impact on peer relations.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- Mentoring as a complex adaptive system - a systematic scoping review of prevailing mentoring theories in medical education.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- Addressing medical student burnout through informal peer-assisted learning: a correlational analysis.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- Enhancing knowledge mastery in resident students through peer-teaching: a study in respiratory medicine.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- Comparing reflection levels between facilitator-led and student-led debriefing in simulation training for paramedic students.Advances in simulation (London, England) · 2023Article
- Article
- Interprofessional education: a necessity in Alzheimer's dementia care-a pilot study.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Article
- Does peer teaching improve academic results and competencies during medical school? A mixed methods study.BMC medical education · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPeer-assisted learning (PAL) is used throughout all levels of healthcare education. Lack of formalised agreement on different PAL programmes may confuse the literature. Given the increasing interest in PAL as an education philosophy, the terms need clarification. The aim of this review is to 1) describe different PAL programmes, 2) clarify the terminology surrounding PAL, and 3) propose a simple pragmatic way of defining PAL programmes based on their design.
methodsA review of current PAL programmes within the healthcare setting was conducted. Each programme was scrutinised based on two aspects: the relationship between student and teacher, and the student to teacher ratio. The studies were then shown to fit exclusively into the novel proposed classification.
resultsThe 34 programmes found, demonstrate a wide variety in terms used. We established six terms, which exclusively applied to the programmes. The relationship between student and teacher was categorised as peer-to-peer or near-peer. The student to teacher ratio suited three groupings, named intuitively 'Mentoring' (1:1 or 1:2), 'Tutoring' (1:3-10), and 'Didactic' (1:>10). From this, six novel terms - all under the heading of PAL - are suggested: 'Peer Mentoring', 'Peer Tutoring', 'Peer Didactic', 'Near-Peer Mentoring', 'Near-Peer Tutoring', and 'Near-Peer Didactic'.
conclusionsWe suggest herein a simple pragmatic terminology to overcome ambiguous terminology. Academically, clear terms will allow effective and efficient research, ensuring furthering of the educational philosophy.
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Registered trials
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.