Inclusion of scenario-based teaching in undergraduate medical education

Abstract

The process of medical education delivery and training of medical students with regard to making them competent in discharging a wide range of activities are a challenging task. The purpose of the current review was to explore the introduction of scenario-based teaching in the delivery of medical education in the undergraduation period. An extensive search of all materials related to the topic was carried out in the PubMed search engine, and a total of 8 articles were selected based upon the suitability with the current review objectives. The keywords used in the search include scenario-based teaching, coronavirus disease-2019, case scenario, and medical education in the title alone only. Scenario-based teaching has emerged as a useful and effective teaching-learning approach in the field of medical education for imparting the desired complex skills to the undergraduate medical students. These scenarios can be created either using a simulation with an aim to expose the medical students to a complex and an authentic scenario, which they are expected to encounter in the daily clinical practice. In the process of resolving the given scenarios, the students develop critical thinking, clinical reasoning, teamwork, leadership, and communication skills, which help them to be better in their roles. In conclusion, the scenario-based teaching is an effective approach to prepare the fresh crop of undergraduate medical students to the rapidly advancing needs of the branch of medicine. The best approach will be to incorporate scenario-based teaching along with other instructional strategies across different professional years and supplement the same with timely constructive feedback.