Effectiveness of case-based learning in medical and pharmacy education: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Case-based learning has drawn a lot of attention in medical education because it is a student-centered teaching model that exposes students to real-world situations that they must answer using their reasoning abilities and prior theoretical knowledge. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to see how successful case-based learning is in medical and pharmacy education. For that purpose, the PubMed and Medline databases were searched for related research through April 2023, and the qualifying papers were chosen using a thorough selection procedure based on PRISMA technique. 21 randomized controlled trials comparing case-based learning to other teaching methodologies used to educate medical and pharmacy students were found as a result of the current search. The highest percentage of selected studies has been conducted in USA (33%) followed by China (24%). The comprehensive analysis of each parameter from chosen studies revealed a high level of heterogeneity (I²=93%, p<0.00001). Between case-based learning and traditional learning, random effects models revealed a significant difference in academic performance. Case-based learning, when compared to other techniques, can increase medical and pharmacy undergraduate students’ academic performance as well as their capacity to analyze cases. It can be concluded that case-based learning is an active teaching method.