Comparing Flipped Classroom with Traditional Instruction for Post-Partum Intra-Uterine Device Training Among Medical Students in a Ugandan Public University: A Quasi-experimental Study

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Available evidence suggests that traditional method of instructions might not be the best for skill development and advanced knowledge acquisition due to their non-interactive nature if compared to flipped classroom (FC). Yet, it remains unclear whether a FC using audio-visual aids outperforms traditional teaching methods for medical students in low-resource settings. Our study aimed to evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of the FC in teaching postpartum intrauterine device (PPIUD) knowledge and insertion skills to undergraduate medical students in clinical rotations. Methods A two-arm, quasi-experimental design was used. The FC group underwent a pre-recorded lecture and video on PPIUD insertion, followed by interactive sessions and procedural practice. The traditional group received an hour-long lecture and onsite skills demonstration, followed by skill practice. Paired t tests were used to determine knowledge and skills acquisition in each group and independent samples t tests was be used to compare groups. Stata version 17 and GraphPad Prism version 9 were used for analysis. Results A total of 67 students were included in the final analysis, 37 in the traditional group and 30 in the FC group. There was a significant improvement in post-test scores compared to pre-test scores in both groups p < 0.001. The mean post-test score was higher for FC compared to the traditional teaching methods group although, it was not statistically significant (p = 0.069). Certain categories of students performed better with FC, especially those who failed pre-tests p = 0.021), in bachelor or of medicine and bachelor of surgery (MBChB) year 3 class (p = 0.011), students who joined the university directly from advanced level certificate (p = 0.018) and aged younger than 25 years (p = 0.002). There was no statistically significant difference in the mean procedure performance score between the intervention and the traditional teaching methods (p = 0.634). Conclusion The FC had shown a positive impact on the knowledge and skills of medical students indicating its role in reproductive health training in resource-limited settings. Additionally, future studies could investigate how FC can combined with other teaching methods to create a blended learning approach that maximizes the benefits and enhanced learning.