Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37730387›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2023

Learning machines or the key to care: a qualitative study exploring the impact of the hidden curriculum on medical students' longitudinal experiences in primary care.

Megan E L Brown, Ravi Parekh, Victoria Collin, Vanessa Sivam, Neha Ahuja, Sonia Kumar

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 29% 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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Megan E L BrownMedical Education Innovation and Research Centre (MEdIC), Imperial College London, London, UK megan.brown@newcastle.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0002-9334-0922
Ravi ParekhMedical Education Innovation and Research Centre (MEdIC), Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0219-4956
Victoria CollinMedical Education Innovation and Research Centre (MEdIC), Imperial College London, London, UK.
Vanessa SivamMedical Education Innovation and Research Centre (MEdIC), Imperial College London, London, UK.
Neha AhujaMedical Education Innovation and Research Centre (MEdIC), Imperial College London, London, UK.
Sonia KumarUniversity of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre · GBUniversity of Leeds · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveLongitudinal learning often faces implementation challenges within UK medical schools. Some have suggested that the hidden curriculum may be implicated, but there is little evidence regarding how the hidden curriculum influences student experiences of, and engagement with longitudinal learning. Given this, our objective was to explore the impact of the hidden curriculum on student experiences of a longitudinal curriculum based in primary care at a research-intensive medical school.

designWe conducted a longitudinal qualitative study. Students participated in three serial, in-depth semistructured interviews. We conducted a longitudinal thematic analysis.

settingOne research-intensive medical school based in the UK. Data collection occurred in 2021-2022.

participants12 penultimate year medical students taking part in a longitudinal primary care placement for 1 day a week over the course of one academic year.

resultsWe constructed four themes capturing insights on how hidden curricula influenced students' experiences: (1) A culture which stresses assessment influences student engagement with longitudinal learning; (2) Longitudinal relationships can challenge the hidden curriculum; (3) Support and continuity within primary care improves skills and can influence belonging and (4) Logistical issues influence engagement with longitudinal learning.

conclusionsThe hidden curriculum, particularly related to assessment, plays a large role in student perceptions of educational value and subsequent engagement with curricula. In a research-intensive institution, longitudinal learning, particularly within primary care, was perceived as at odds with what was important for assessments. Where longitudinal relationships were successfully established, students became more aware of the benefits of person-centred practice. For primary care longitudinal education to succeed in more research-intensive institutions, there must first be advocacy for greater representation of primary care and person-centred values within organisational structures to ensure meaningful curricular alignment.

Indexed as

Students, MedicalCurriculumEducational StatusHumansLearningPrimary Health CareMEDICAL EDUCATION & TRAININGPhysiciansPrimary Care

Identifiers

PMID37730387
PMCPMC10514660
OpenAlexW4386880698

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.