Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39948596›Full record

ArticleBMC medical education2025

Comparison of face-to-face teaching and online teaching in neurosurgery education for medical students.

Jun Shen, Shaolin Zhang, Dongdong Sun, Ruixiang Ge, Sansong Chen, Jincheng Fang, Qian An

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical education, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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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

7 authors.

Jun Shen *Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital (YiJiShan Hospital) of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu City, 241001, Anhui, PR China.
Shaolin Zhang *Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital (YiJiShan Hospital) of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu City, 241001, Anhui, PR China.
Dongdong Sun *Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital (YiJiShan Hospital) of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu City, 241001, Anhui, PR China.
Ruixiang GeDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital (YiJiShan Hospital) of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu City, 241001, Anhui, PR China.
Sansong ChenDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital (YiJiShan Hospital) of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu City, 241001, Anhui, PR China.
Jincheng FangDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital (YiJiShan Hospital) of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu City, 241001, Anhui, PR China.
Qian AnDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Wuhu Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhu City, 241001, Anhui, PR China. anqianbb520@163.com.

Funding

Teaching and Research Project of Anhui Provincial Department of Education 2021jyxm1636, 2021jyxm1629, 2022jyxm1726, 2022jyxm1723,2023jyxm1226Teaching Quality and Teaching Reform Project of Wannan Medical College 2020jyxm84, 2022jyxm71
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveOnline teaching has been confirmed as an effective method for maintaining educational quality in many courses. However, it remains unclear whether the teaching effectiveness of face-to-face teaching can be achieved in neurosurgery clinical courses. In this study, we aim to analyze the effect of online teaching on neurosurgery by comparing it with traditional face-to-face teaching and investigating the students' willingness to engage with online teaching, as well as their evaluations of this mode of teaching.

methodsWe randomly selected three classes of fourth year medical students who received online teaching and three classes of fourth year medical students who received face-to-face teaching. After completing the neurosurgery curriculum, the study examined the differences between the two groups in terms of satisfaction with the course, theoretical knowledge, and clinical practice abilities, which included medical history inquiry, physical examination, diagnosis, and treatment. In the online teaching setting, a survey was conducted to assess the students' willingness to accept online teaching and to identify its shortcomings.

resultsThe self-evaluation items included learning motivation, learning more targeted and more interestingly, clinical thinking ability, clinician-patient communication skills, and teamwork skills. All of these aspects were significantly better in the face-to-face group compared to the online group. Each item's score for clinical practice abilities in the face-to-face group was notably higher than that of the online group. Students' satisfaction with and evaluation of the effectiveness of online teaching were lower than those of face-to-face teaching. The primary drawback of online teaching is the lack of a traditional classroom atmosphere, followed by limited interaction with teachers and classmates.

conclusionsThe face-to-face group had better self-evaluation and clinical practice abilities than the online group. Additionally, students expressed a preference for face-to-face teaching of neurosurgery clinical courses. The absence of a traditional classroom atmosphere is the main drawback of online teaching. Therefore, online teaching cannot completely replace traditional face-to-face teaching in neurosurgery clinical courses.

Indexed as

Computer-Assisted InstructionEducation, DistanceEducation, Medical, UndergraduateNeurosurgeryStudents, MedicalAdultClinical CompetenceCurriculumFemaleHumansMaleSurveys and QuestionnairesTeachingCase-based learningFace-to-face teachingNeurosurgeryOnline teachingProblem-based learning

Identifiers

PMID39948596
PMCPMC11827255

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.