Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37868043›Full record

ArticleJournal of medical education and curricular development

Insights of Medical Students and Graduates Toward Electronic Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Lebanon: A National Cross-Sectional Study.

Maroun Bou Zerdan, Youssef Bouferraa, Morgan Bou Zerdan, Josleen Al Barathie, Rita Khoury

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medical education and curricular development. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 37% 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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 1 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. E-learning Challenges among Healthcare Students: A Scoping Review.Journal of advances in medical education & professionalism · 2026
    Review
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 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Maroun Bou ZerdanDepartment of Hematology/Oncology, Maroone Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL, USA.
Youssef BouferraaDepartment of Internal Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Morgan Bou ZerdanFaculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
Josleen Al BarathieInstitute for Development Research Advocacy and Applied Care (IDRAAC), Beirut, Lebanon.
Rita KhouryDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & the Medical Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2481-6816
SUNY Upstate Medical University · USAmerican University of Beirut · LBCleveland Clinic · USInstitute for Development, Research, Advocacy and Applied Care · LB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThis study examines the perceptions of Lebanese medical students and graduates regarding the switch to electronic learning (e-learning) and measures their psychological distress amid the COVID-19 pandemic, compounded by an unprecedented financial collapse and the August 4 Beirut blast.

methodsThis is a national cross-sectional descriptive study, consisting of a 48-item questionnaire, diffused online to Lebanese medical students between February 8 and 21, 2021. The survey divided into 5 sections assesses for (1) Sociodemographic information, (2) implemented changes in medical education delivery precipitated by the pandemic, (3) students' perceptions regarding the effectiveness, advantages, and barriers of e-learning, and (4) role of e-learning in clinical training. Finally, students' psychological distress was measured, using the Kessler 10-item distress scale (K10). Descriptive analyses were performed using Stata version 13 and Excel.

results1060 responses were recorded (27% response rate) across all Lebanese medical schools. Although 71.6% of participants found e-learning to be stimulating, half of the participants thought it was not equally effective to face-to-face learning. Around 73.1% of students felt they were not able to learn hands-on clinical skills. Lebanese students identified cost savings (food, transportation etc) and poor internet connectivity are the most common advantage and barrier, respectively; 77.8% of participants showed high/very high levels of distress (K10 score ≥22).

conclusionsEnsuring accessibility and availability of resources such as electricity and internet is of utmost priority. Lebanese medical schools need to incorporate clinical training experiences to their virtual platforms to maintain the quality of medical education to their students. A particular attention to students' mental health is warranted, by increasing awareness and access to mental health services.

Indexed as

COVID-19distresse-learningLebanonmedical education

Identifiers

PMID37868043
PMCPMC10588408
OpenAlexW4387830532

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.