Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37429674›Full record

Observational studyBMJ open2023

Value of a UK medical degree for international students (VISION): a cross-sectional study.

Chun Hei Li, Sashiananthan Ganesananthan, Trevor Pinchemain, Amanda Godoi, Shan Ming Lim, Ravanth Baskaran, Srinjay Mukhopadhyay, Eu Fang Foo, Setthasorn Zhi Yang Ooi, Timothy Woo and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact, top 82% 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

0 citing papers in PubMed, 0 citations in OpenAlex.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

13 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Chun Hei Li *Vascular Surgery, St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1733-4050
Sashiananthan Ganesananthan *School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Trevor PinchemainSchool of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Amanda GodoiSchool of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Shan Ming LimSchool of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Ravanth BaskaranSchool of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Srinjay MukhopadhyaySchool of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Eu Fang FooSchool of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Setthasorn Zhi Yang OoiSchool of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-7097-0948
Timothy WooSchool of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Vanessa YeoSchool of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
VISION collaborators
Helen SweetlandSchool of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK Sweetland@cardiff.ac.uk.
Cardiff University · GBImperial College London · GBKing's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust · GBSandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust · GBSt George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesIt is estimated that NHS staff consist of over 200 different nationalities, with a reported 30.7% of doctors holding a nationality other than British. Despite this, international medical students represent 7.5% of all medical students studying in the UK and pay on average, 4-6 times more in tuition fees when compared with the £9250 per annum (Great British Pounds (£) in 2021) paid by home students. This study's aim and objective are to evaluate the perception of the financial cost and value of the UK medical degree for international students and their motivations for pursuing such a degree.

methodsThis is a cross-sectional observational study enquiring about international premedical, medical and medical school graduates' perception of the value of the UK medical degree and factors influencing their decision to study in the UK.A questionnaire was developed and distributed to 24 medical schools and 64 secondary schools both internationally and across the UK.

resultsA total of 352 responses from 56 nationalities were recorded. 96% of international students identified clinical and academic opportunities as the most important factors to study medicine in the UK, closely followed by quality of life (88%). The least important factor was family reasons, with 39% of individuals identifying this factor. Only 4.82% of graduates in our study considered leaving the UK after training. Overall, 54% of students felt the UK degree was value for money. This belief was significantly higher in premedical students compared with existing students and graduates (71% vs 52% and 20%, p<0.001 for all comparisons).

conclusionThe quality of medical education and international prestige are attractive factors for international students to study medicine in the UK. However, further work is needed to ascertain reasons for the differing perceptions of the value by international students at different stages in their clinical training.

Indexed as

Quality of LifeStudents, MedicalCross-Sectional StudiesHumansSchools, MedicalUnited Kingdominternational studentsmedical educationpostgraduate training

Identifiers

PMID37429674
PMCPMC10335426
OpenAlexW4383814801

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.