Strides in Development of Medical Education
Volume:20 Issue: 1, Autumn 2023

Brain-based teaching approach as one of the outcomes of the recent trend in neuroeducation employs brain-based learning insights and strategies to induce efficient and accelerated learning.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a brain-based language instruction model on nursing students' English-speaking skill.

In this quantitative study with quasi-experimental design and pre-test/post-test format, a model of brain-based instruction for 64 students of Nursing (50 females and 14 males) was incorporated into a required general English course at Islamic Azad University of Kerman, Iran during the academic year 2021-2022.

Analysis of the independent sample t-tests and one-way ANCOVA indicated that the experimental group with intervention program of brain-based teaching approach considerably outperformed the control group in the pre-test and the posttest regarding speaking skill (P<0.01).

Tracing the natural learning process in the brain, adopting compatible teaching methods, and assigning pedagogical tasks greatly facilitated understanding of the learners, learning materials, and teaching methods as well as improved the educational outcomes.

Assessment is the requisite or essential part of medical education. A Blueprint is a calibrated or quality document that compiles the entire educational content and its outcome.

The present study was done to develop an assessment blueprint for clinical skill competencies in the Department of General Surgery for medical undergraduates.

Blueprint was developed as an assessment tool for undergraduate medical students attending the third stage of general surgery, part 2. The feedback form was circulated among the departmental faculty to obtain their perception/ opinion about the designed blueprint. The feedback was then analysed.

Feedback was 73- 83% satisfactory from the faculty’s opinion, and they stated that it aligned with learning objectives and public health. Important topics were considered, and they can be used to assess in-depth knowledge to improve clinical skills and be considered an integral part of assessments.

Blueprint could be an essential tool to conduct unbiased, ethical, and consistent examinations because it has a structured format that reflects the competencies that can be assessed. This may help quality medical education by improving assessment standards.

COVID-19 affected education systems around the world. Virtual education was chosen as a solution not to stop education in schools and universities. While the resolution was adopted to prevent education in the countries, it presented new challenges and complications for university teachers.

This systematic review examines teachers' challenges during COVID-19 in virtual education.

The present study is a systematic review based on the PRISMA guideline. To conduct this study, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases were searched from 1 December 2019 to 11 November 2021. The inclusion criteria for this study were original research articles published in English that examined the challenges faced by professors in virtual education during COVID-19.

Finally, 17 articles were included from the 2219 articles found in the initial search stage, which examined the challenges faced by Professors in virtual education. The results indicated that the most critical challenges facing Professors during the COVID-19 pandemic were as follows, in order of highest to lowest: 1) Limitations on Internet access and appropriate communication infrastructures, 2) lack of access to computer equipment and hardware, 3) low levels of familiarity and necessary training of teachers and students in working with virtual education systems.

According to the results of the present study, teachers have faced many challenges due to the existing circumstances and the rapid shift from face-to-face to virtual education. Relevant organizations and institutions should train teachers and students to apply virtual education tools properly.

Professionalism means understanding a profession and introducing it to the society through professional behaviors. In particular in clinical settings, constructive feedback is provided in education to create professional behaviors.

This study aimed to investigate giving feedback on professionalism in clinical education.

A narrative review was conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar on the publications over the last 10 years. Eight hundred twenty-six articles were found in the first step, among which 30 were handed over to the expert panel. Fifteen of 30 articles were finally selected.

The data of the studies were in four categories: feedback techniques, feedback in. curriculum, the scope of feedback, and feedback outcome. Feedback on professionalism was mostly presented through online services, portfolio, video-based systems, by a preceptor or peers, longitudinally in internship courses, and Multi Source Feedback (360 degree). In a study, feedback on professionalism was considered formally in the curriculum. Educational experts give both formative and summative feedback (most of which were formative). Based on the literature, feedback can enhance learning professionalism, curriculum reforms, system support, student comfort, evaluations, and efficacy of professionalism.

Multi-Source feedback assessment was the most used tool for giving feedback in professionalism, and the most popular form was informal-formative feedback. Since professionalism is a multidimensional concept related to personal communication, multi-source tools have been the most commonly used in the literature.

The importance of medical science development is well known to everyone, and conducting various studies is necessary to achieve this development. In the meantime, the occurrence of mistakes and failures in the process of conducting medical science research is inevitable. In such an atmosphere, the significance of the civil liability issue in medical science research becomes obvious, and since dealing with this area in private law has been neglected by the legislator, and this important matter needs particular laws, it requires legislation to recognize the legal foundations of that issue.

The current research was conducted aiming to critically review the civil liability issue of medical science researchers.

The method used in this study was critical review. A review study helps us understand what we know at present in a specific scientific field.

Relying on each of the jurisprudential principles based on whether the study is therapeutic or non-therapeutic, and clinical or non-clinical, can lead to a different outcome in assigning liability to the researcher. Also, although there are definite foundations for civil liability in the legal system of Iran, in the field of medical science research, we are encountering a void of definite and revised regulations and procedures.

In addition to recognizing the studies in medical sciences, it is also necessary to provide the possibility to induce the least legal challenges in therapeutic or non-therapeutic clinical studies on a human subject. Although there are civil liability foundations stemming from medical science research in Iranian law, unfortunately, no certain procedure and law are observed in this regard, and it is necessary for the legislator to resolve this serious void by approving appropriate regulations because due to the complexities in medical science subjects, the general principles of civil liability regulations cannot be a solution on its own.

E-learning is considered the most important technology that can support new teaching-learning approaches. The objective of e-learning is to provide the same access and create the same educational space for all learners at any point, and optimize the methods of presenting course content for deeper and more serious learning.

The present study was conducted to develop a standard framework for the effective implementation of e-learning in medical science education.

This study was conducted in two phases in 2022 using a mixed exploratory method. In the first (qualitative) phase, the initial framework was obtained from a comparative review of existing literature. In the second (quantitative) phase, the calculated standards were prepared in the form of an online questionnaire and sent to 20 e-learning experts in medical sciences. After data analysis, a framework of e-learning standards were proposed.

Nine dimensions and 58 standards were approved as the framework of e-learning standards. The lowest and highest content validity ratio (CVR) based on the analyzes were reported to be 0.77 and 0.88, respectively. As a result, all dimensions and 58 standards were approved. Also, the intraclass correlation (ICC) between 0.75 and 0.90 showed good reliability and high agreement between experts.

Using a standard framework to implement e-learning helps to improve the quality of e-learning courses in medical sciences and brings more trust from internal and external stakeholders in these courses. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on the field of education and attempt to make educational organizations work in the best way in any situation, such as the fact that the world has recently been exposed to the o COVID-19 pandemic which led to the tendency of universities to use it.

High level of stress experienced by residents is one of the important factors of the reduction in their efficiency and the increase in their error rate and poor clinical performance.

The present study was conducted to review, identify and categorize the most important stressors of residents.

In this narrative review study, English articles were reviewed by electronic search of Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus and Google Scholar search engine over the last 10 years (2013-2022).

Based on the data, 89 stressors were extracted from 12 articles, and then divided into six categories of "stressors related to care and treatment, stressors related to interpersonal and intrapersonal communication, social stressors, stressors related to course management and planning, stressors related to teaching and learning and stressors related to residents' drive and desires".

The identification and categorization of stressors in the present study made it possible that the planners and practitioners of residency courses can design and implement effective solutions to reduce the negative impacts of residents' stressors and, as a result, provide better conditions for their learning and training during the course.

Continuous improvement of the quality of education requires continuous evaluation of the clinical learning environment (CLE) and identification of university students’ perceptions and expectations. To this end, higher education must improve its quality and increase student satisfaction for its long-term success and survival.

The present study aimed to investigate and compare dental residents’ attitudes toward the quality of the CLE.

The participants in this cross-sectional descriptive study were all dental residents (n = 251) at three dental schools in Tehran, Mashhad, and Kerman who were studying in the academic year 2022-2023. The residents were selected using the census method. The Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM) was used to examine the quality of the learning environment in three areas: perception of autonomy (POA), perception of teaching (POT), and perception of social support (PSS). The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics independent samples t-test, correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis with SPSS software at a P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The mean scores for POA, PSS, and POT assessed by dental residents at Tehran, Mashhad, and Kerman universities were 108.54, 100.61, and 97.42 (out of 152), which were within the acceptable range. In addition, 44.88% of the dental residents had a good assessment of the CLE. Furthermore, all dental residents reported poor or negative attitudes toward POA. In addition, 34.76% of dental residents were positive about SSP and 50.70% of them had very positive attitudes toward POT.

Although a majority of dental residents had positive views about the learning environment and its different educational and social aspects, they had negative assessments of the perception of autonomy (POA) as one of the essential factors in the learning environment. Thus, more attention should be paid to dental residents’ perception of autonomy to promote the educational and social quality of dental schools.

Implementation of health care strategies (including the implementation of decisions) is one of the most valuable and complex stages of strategic planning, which is realized through collaboration.

This study aimed to define the roles of distinct elements of collaborative management in implementing health care strategies.

This research was conducted based on the qualitative method of Granded theory with the constructionist approach of Charmaz to answer the question pertaining to the research objectives. The sampling method was snowballing, and information from 40 semi-in-depth semi-structured interviews based on a primary and centralized approach was analyzed. A 3-dimensional approach was used for data consolidation.

From the participants’ viewpoint, the inflexibility of managers and staff and the deviation between personal and organizational goals and endeavors are the major hindrances to implementing collaborative management. Moreover, the participants emphasized the importance of a comprehensive and documented strategic plan for implementing strategic health care roadmaps. They believed that effective implementation of collaborative management could lead to desirable personal growth, organizational growth, and monitoring and problem-solving outcomes. However, managers’ resistance and lack of monitoring were reported as negative outcomes that should be addressed accordingly.

Implementing collaborative management in health and promoting it in collaboration with different stakeholders can provide a suitable foundation for implementing this management style. Moreover, expanding knowledge, training, and monitoring the health care system are proposed as key elements.

Continuous quality improvement in nursing education is crucial to ensure that the curriculum is benchmarked against international standards and best practices, while remaining relevant to the local community. Comparing current programs using a comparative approach is one of the evaluation techniques used.

The main objective of this paper is to compare the geriatric nursing program's curriculum at the master's level between Iran and the USA (specifically, the Rory Meyers College of Nursing).

This descriptive-comparative study utilized Bereday's model to assess the geriatric nursing curricula. The primary method of inquiry was through secondary sources, primarily information gathered from web pages. Similarities were identified, and comparisons were made using Bereday's Model.

We discovered several differences and only a few similarities between the two curricula. However, it's important to interpret the results with caution since these two countries have different macroenvironments and varying stages of the aging process, which significantly influence the need for geriatric medicine and nursing care.

This study can be valuable for countries that are starting to experience population aging, as it allows them to learn from well-established programs, avoid potential pitfalls, and gain insights into best practices to enhance their preparedness for advancements in nursing care.

Achieving the balance between work and life is a serious challenge for faculty members. The present investigation aimed to examine the association between trait mindfulness and work-life balance among faculty members and determine the importance of sleep quality in this relationship.

This study aimed to evaluate the association between mindfulness, work-life balance, and sleep quality in medical faculty members.

The present cross-sectional study determined the association of mindfulness and work-life balance with sleep quality among 255 medical faculty members using the Work-Life Balance Perceptions Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out through SPSS software (version 20) and Amos software (version 20). The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

A positive correlation was observed between mindfulness and work-life balance (r = 0.25, P = 0.04). A negative correlation was noticed between impaired sleep quality with mindfulness (r = -0.27, P = 0.03) and work-life balance (r = -0.31, P = 0.02). Sleep quality played a mediating role in the association between mindfulness and work-life balance.

This study supports the advantages of mindfulness in work-life balance. The enhancement of mindfulness in medical faculty members helps improve their sleep quality and can be effective in enhancing their work-life balance.

Using augmented reality (AR) in blended learning in the higher education system has exhibited promising results.

In this study, the effect of using a simple AR-based booklet was evaluated on the learning and practical skills of pharmacy students during a pharmacognosy lab-based course.

A pre-test/post-test controlled trial was designed. The traditional educational booklet was revised by adding experimental videos using QR-code as a simple AR technology. The students’ laboratory skills were scored according to a checklist developed by professionals. The paired t-test was used to compare the mean differences between the pre-test and post-test scores in each group, and ANCOVA was used to compare the mean differences in the post-test scores between the two groups. After adjusting for pre-test scores, ANOVA was used to compare the scores of practical skills between all six groups participating in the lab course.

The mean pre-test scores were not significantly different between the control and intervention groups. No significant differences were noticed between the two groups regarding post-test grades. Generally, the students’ practical skills significantly improved; however, changes were more obvious in some indicators, including the number of blatant mistakes, troubleshooting questions, misidentification of materials, and improper use of equipment. The students were well satisfied with the new educational booklet.

Although AR makes the learning process an interactive, multi-sensory, and enjoyable experience for students, this novel-designed educational booklet for lab courses needs improvements by using more advanced AR technologies in order to completely fulfil the learning objectives of students.

 The hidden curriculum has a significant role in students’ learning in general and in online learning in particular. However, there are few studies on hidden curriculum of online medical education programs.

 The present study explored master students’ experience of hidden curriculum in an online medical education program.

 A phenomenological study was conducted on 12 students of an online medical education master’s degree program at Iran University of Medical Sciences. The results of the semi-structured interviews were analysed by using Colaizzi seven-stage data analysis method.

 We extracted 6 categories and 12 subcategories from data analysis, depicting the students' experiences of the hidden curriculum. The categories were interactions and communications factors; motivational factors; reflective and interactive feedback; effective teaching and assessing; educational standards, rules, and discipline; faculty member's roles.

 The findings reflect the hidden messages and factors that constitute the hidden curriculum in the online environment. Constructive interaction and communication, encouragement and reward, and reflective and interactive feedback were the most important aspects defining the hidden curriculum in this learning environment. Therefore, each of the afore-mentioned categories can be considered by educational planners to develop strategies for promoting online learning.

Despite some obstacles, internationalization of medical education can promote the educational, research and clinical level of universities.

The purpose of this study was to explore the opportunities, challenges, and solutions of the internationalization of higher medical education in Iran.

The present qualitative study was conducted with Brown and Clark's thematic content analysis approach. Purposeful sampling was performed using the snowball strategy, and the data were collected using semi-structured interviews. The statistical population included Iranian students and professors residing in universities abroad, experts and key officials working in the Deputy of International Relations in Iran’s Ministry of Health and Medical Education, the Vice-Chancellors of the International Relation Units of the country’s universities of medical sciences, and foreign students studying in Iran’s universities of medical sciences. The data were gathered by conducting 17 interviews with eligible individuals following the principle of data saturation. Finally, the data were subjected to thematic analysis by MAXQDA-10 software.

The data extracted from the interviews were categorized into 268 codes, 29 subcategories, and six categories. The themes identified were "specifications of an international higher education center", "advantages of internationalization", and "necessary items and requirements" in the field of requirements and criteria, "weaknesses and challenges of internationalization" in the field of challenges, "operational solutions for addressing challenges" and "successful domestic and foreign experiences of the internationalization of higher medical education centers " in the field of solutions. The subthemes of "weaknesses and challenges at the level of the university" and "hardware specifications" attained the highest frequency among open codes.

A need to be responsive to many present and future needs of our country necessities that the higher medical education system moves in parallel with the globalization process and multicultural societies. In this regard, officials should pay attention to the requirements, criteria, challenges, and solutions of the internationalization of higher medical education in Iran based on the evidence disclosed in this study.

Learning is due to behavioral changes in knowledge, skills, and attitude.

The current research assesses the state of the atmosphere, educational environment, and self-efficacy domains. It also assesses how the educational environment affects dental students' sense of self-efficacy.

All clinical undergraduate dental students (N=190) at Tehran University of Medical Science's School of Dentistry were the focus of a descriptive-analytical research conducted in 2018. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM), the demographic surveys, and the validated Persian version of the Sherer Self-Efficacy Scale were all employed by the researchers. The DREEM assessed students' perceptions of learning (PoL), teaching (PoT), academic self-perception (ASP), atmosphere (PoA), and social self-perception (SSP) in addition to other key categories. Demographic factors and educational data (academic level, admittance quota, overall average grade, final semester grade, employment experience outside of dentistry school, and self-perceived effectiveness) were included in the demographic questionnaire. The factors from the demographic questionnaire were compared to the educational climate and self-efficacy using linear regression analysis. Additionally, the association between the educational environment and self-efficacy was assessed using Pearson's correlation (rho) coefficient.

The majority of clinical dentistry students (87.3%) were single, female (52.6%), and lived in dorms. All DREEM domains and the overall educational environment, with the exception of the PoT domain (p-value=0.302), significantly correlated positively with students' self-efficacy (p-value < 0.05). Self-efficacy and the overall educational environment are highly associated (p=0.001, rho=0.311).

A good educational atmosphere may enhance dental students’ self-efficacy.

Online education has become more vastly recognized as a powerful educational tool after the Covid-19 pandemic. It provides educational opportunities that were not previously possible because of time or place restrictions.

This study investigated the factors influencing students' acceptance of online learning systems during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The study sample comprised 435 students from Kerman University of Medical Sciences. We used the external technology acceptance model (TAM) to determine the acceptance of online education systems by undergraduate students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to check the model hypotheses. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

In this study, 65% of the participants were men. The mean score for the items in the questionnaire was 53.1±19.3. The constructs of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness had a significant effect on students' attitudes, and students' attitudes and perceived usefulness strongly influenced their behavior in using the online education system.

The results of this study show that the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of the online education system indirectly affect students' behavior in using online education. Thus, educational policymakers at universities can emphasize the ease of learning and especially the easy use of mobile phones when choosing an online education system. In addition, the creation and expansion of the necessary infrastructure can facilitate student use of online education.

Medical ethics courses play a pivotal role in medical education, aiming to enhance the moral decision-making capabilities of medical students. As such, the evaluation of medical ethics education programs within medical faculties is of paramount importance for the improvement of these initiatives.

This study aimed to appraise the psychometric properties of the Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) evaluation model in medical ethics education.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 136 clerckship medical students, who were enrolled in a medical ethics course at Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. The participants completed a 40-item researcher-made questionnaire, which was designed based on the CIPP evaluation model. The questionnaire was divided into four distinct sections, each corresponding to the context, input, process, and product aspects of the model. The face and content validity of the instrument was established by an expert panel, consisting of 10 faculty members of medical education and medical ethics. The reliability of the questionnaire was also determined by calculating its internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Moreover, the construct validity of the questionnaire was assessed via confirmatory factor analysis, using the goodness of fit indices. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 19 and Lisrel 8.8.

The content validity index and content validity ratio of the questionnaire were measured to be 0.97 and 0.89, respectively. The internal consistency of different sections of the questionnaire ranged between 0.71 and 0.87. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the model showed acceptable goodness of fit indices.

In this study, the psychometric properties of the CIPP evaluation model for medical ethics education were found to be acceptable and applicable.

The combined use of electronic and traditional education is called blended learning. Anatomy is a major in medical education. Using this method creates flexible learning environments and more interaction in learning.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of blended learning on teaching anatomy to medical students.

This comprehensive literature review was conducted on December 3, 2022. Our research was conducted by adhering to the PRISMA guidelines. Online databases PubMed, Eric, and Web of Science were systematically searched for relevant articles using predefined keywords. Using EndNote, all relevant literature published within the past five years was retrieved and further analyzed.

Our comprehensive search strategy resulted in the retrieval of 351 articles. After screening the articles and selecting the articles based on the inclusion criteria, 22 articles were eligible and included in the study. Most of the studies were conducted in India (n = 5), China (n = 2), United Kingdom (n = 2), and Portugal (n = 2). The majority of studies were conducted in 2022 (n = 7). The most important finding of all reviewed articles was the effectiveness of blended learning, which is mentioned as an effective method for teaching anatomy.

Blended learning can improve performance and increase satisfaction and motivation in students. Identifying suitable learning resources with medical students’ abilities improves learners’ knowledge. Applying new learning methods can be very effective as some conditions, such as the COVID-19 crisis, limit access to corpses and physical presence.

Choosing a medical specialty is an important choice for medical students and the healthcare system.

This study aimed to investigate the interest of last-year medical students in choosing a future medical specialty and determine effective factors in it.

A descriptive cross-sectional study of 201 medical students was performed in Iran in 2019. All medical students who completed the internship period by the end of September 2020 were selected by census method. A questionnaire was applied, the validity and reliability of which had already been registered in the Statistics Center of Afzalipour Hospital, Kerman, Iran. Data analysis was performed using descriptive methods, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, and SPSS software (version 20). A significance level of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

About 98% of students intended to choose a future medical specialty. The highest number of interested students were female (66%) and single (83.2%), with a mean age of 26.69 ± 12.22 years. The parents’ educational level of most students interested in continuing education was a bachelor’s degree or lower (52.3%). “Achieving a better economic position” (91.4%) was the most important factor for choosing a specialty. Most participants were interested in ophthalmology (18.2%). The factors “specific working hours” and “easy residency period” were indicated most frequently as effects on the preference for ophthalmology.

The present findings provide significant insight into creating strategies to attract a number of medical students in other specialties based on the needs of the Iranian healthcare system.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impossibility of
face-to-face learning, universities sought alternative methods to continue education and adapt to the upcoming conditions. Although technology development and virtual education methods created many opportunities in dental education, these modern solutions were not free of problems.

The current study explored the challenges, opportunities, and future directions of dental education from the experience of dental students, faculty members, and the dean of Alborz Dental School during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current qualitative study was conducted in 2021 using the content analysis method and in-depth semi-structured interviews with faculty members and students of Alborz Dental School. Purposive sampling was implemented to collect data with maximum variability in the faculty and student groups. In addition, 19 semi-structured interviews were transcribed verbatim immediately after each interview. The results were analyzed using MAXQDA version 10 software through the content analysis method.

The results of data analysis in the evaluation of challenges and opportunities of dental education from the experience of dental students, faculty members, and the dean of Alborz Dental School during the COVID-19 pandemic detected three emerging categories: opportunities, challenges, and future direction with subcategories of
e-learning, clinical training, infrastructures, and personal life.

Despite creating new learning opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty members and dental students faced many challenges. Therefore, identifying these challenges, taking advantage of opportunities, and using faculty members' and students' experiences and suggestions can improve the learning experience and quality of education during the post-pandemic era.

 An increasing number of workshops are held yearly to educate medical students on academic writing and research methodology. However, the actual impact of such training programs on students’ proficiency in academic research cannot be assessed without thorough evaluation.

 Herein, Kirkpatrick’s model was adopted to evaluate the efficiency of a workshop held for medical students on research methodology.

 This cross-sectional study collected data from 280 medical students participating in seven workshops. Herein, two levels from Kirkpatrick’s model were evaluated (reaction and learning). A 12-item questionnaire was filled out by participants immediately after the workshop to assess their reactions. Two questionnaires were used before and after the workshop to evaluate learning, each consisting of 25 items.

 Concerning the first level of Kirkpatrick’s model, all students showed a generally high level of satisfaction in terms of the content, the lecturer, and the organization of the workshop. As for the learning scores, both basic and clinical students demonstrated significant (P<0.001) improvement within groups. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups (basic and clinical).

 The high level of satisfaction experienced by the participants and their significantly improved knowledge of research methodology, suggest that such workshops can indeed put medical students on the right track toward a productive academic and clinical career. So, the workshops should be considered a necessary component of education in medical sciences.

 Good physician-patient communication improves health outcomes. However, many medical students lack effective communication skills.

 This study was done to evaluate a virtual education module for teaching communication skills to medical students in Iran.

 The pre-test-post-test experimental design was conducted with simple random sampling using random number generation software to compare the virtual module of communication skills. Iran University of Medical Sciences students' attitudes were assessed with the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) and clinical performance was assessed with the Calgary Cambridge checklist. A total of 50 students in each group have completed the course. The virtual module was designed and developed with the steps of the Calgary Cambridge model and was taught using PowerPoint, posters, pamphlets, and podcasts. Independent t-test samples, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were utilized for data analysis using SPSS software.

 The mean age of participants in the Conventional group was 23.92±3.27, and in the virtual module group was 24.02±3.16. The mean difference in attitude toward communication between the two groups was 25.62±5.45, and performance was 6.23±1.61, which was statistically significant. The statistical analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in the mean attitude and performance of students before and after the virtual module (P<0.05).

 The virtual module significantly improved students' communication skills, attitude, and performance compared to conventional education. The implementation of virtual education modules can effectively enhance the teaching of communication skills in medical schools. Further studies are needed to assess the long-term impacts on physician-patient communication.

 Continuous education is essential for medical professionals to stay up to date. In this regard, new technologies such as appropriately designed applications tailored to the needs of the audience allow independent and high-quality learning beyond time and place restrictions for the employees. Therefore, the current study’s aim was to investigate the appropriateness of interactive educational applications with the type, nature, and thematic features of the continuous education courses provided to physicians.

 The present research aimed to scrutinize the virtual CME courses held by the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2018-2020. We categorized the topics of the courses based on their educational goals, content, and methods, as well as evaluation methods, and determined the applicability of using interactive educational applications for the subjects taught.

 In this qualitative study, virtual continuous education courses held by the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2018-2020 were examined. The data were collected by reviewing the statistics documented, scrutinizing the educational content and the characteristics of the platforms used during courses, conducting individual interviews, and holding focus group discussions with lecturers and physicians participating in these courses. Data coding, extraction, categorization, and analysis were held concomitant with each step.

 The educational courses were flexible in terms of accessibility and schedules. The most common subjects were related to clinical and non-specialized topics. The educational goals were mostly at low-cognitive and non-transparent levels, and the content was presented mostly in the form of audio non-interactive slides. The teaching method was mostly through lecturing, and evaluations were objective and summative. Low graphical attractiveness, poor toolbox, and poor user interactive interface were among the drawbacks of the education courses.

 The use of interactive, appropriately designed applications tailored to the needs of the audience can resolve some of the shortcomings of conventional continuous educational courses and fulfill educational objectives at different levels. These applications provide the possibility of skillful and motivational training, as well as more proficiency, deeper learning, and higher satisfaction by creating a more attractive learning environment.