Trial reportJMIR medical education2026
Combining Problem-Based Learning Methods With the WeChat Platform in Teaching Ophthalmology: Randomized Controlled Trial.
Trial report in JMIR medical education, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Ophthalmology poses distinct learning challenges for medical students due to the complex anatomy of the eye and the requirement of essential hands-on skills. Problem-based learning (PBL), a student-centered approach, fosters clinical reasoning and self-directed learning. To address the time and logistical constraints of traditional teaching methods, this study implemented a WeChat-based PBL model that leveraged the platform's efficiency and interactivity to enhance student engagement and skill acquisition in ophthalmology. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of WeChat-based PBL in ophthalmology education, focusing on its impact on students' self-perception of learning and clinical skills compared to traditional teaching methods. Methods: This study involved 108 undergraduate students who successfully passed the Chinese National Entrance Examination. Among them, 54 (50%) were randomly selected to participate in the WeChat-based PBL, while the other 54 (50%) received traditional teaching. Students were placed into 6 groups (18 students for each group) using a random number table, and the new teaching methods were tested outside their regular class time. Three groups were randomly selected to receive PBL using WeChat as the platform, while the remaining 3 groups received conventional teaching. Results: Our analysis indicated that although students in the WeChat-based PBL group scored marginally lower in memorization compared to their peers in the traditional teaching group (traditional group: mean 37.6, SD 2.8; WeChat group: mean 32.0, SD 4.1; P=.006; n=54), they exhibited markedly superior levels of understanding (traditional group: mean 24.1, SD 1.8; WeChat group: mean 28.0, SD 1.3; P=.007; n=54) and knowledge application (traditional group: mean 24.3, SD 1.9; WeChat group: mean 27.6, SD 1.3; P=.008; n=54). This suggests that the WeChat-based PBL method promotes deeper engagement, enabling students to better comprehend essential concepts, even with a diminished emphasis on rote learning. Additionally, students in the WeChat group reported increased collaboration (traditional group: mean 3.8889, SD 0.8393; WeChat group: mean 1.7222, SD 0.5961; P<.001); motivation (traditional group: mean 3.5471, SD 0.7915; WeChat group: mean 1.8333, SD 0.5746; P=.004); knowledge acquisition (traditional group: mean 3.6667, SD 0.7770; WeChat group: mean 1.8704, SD 0.7017; P<.001); self-learning ability (traditional group: mean 3.5741, SD 0.7673; WeChat group: mean 1.8519, SD 0.4917; P<.001); clinical reasoning (traditional group: mean 2.9444, SD 0.8777; WeChat group: mean 1.9630, SD 0.6132; P=.01); and problem-solving skills (traditional group: mean 3.2037, SD 0.6553; WeChat group: mean 1.8519, SD 0.5287; P=.001) than the students in the traditional group. Conclusions: Integrating PBL methods with WeChat has been shown to improve ophthalmic education outcomes compared to traditional teaching, suggesting that this method may offer a superior alternative to conventional teaching.
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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.