Medical students’ understanding and interpreting abilities for Complete Blood Counts (CBC) in clinical practice

Abstract

Introduction: The current study aimed to assess students’ competency of the Faculty of Medicine, Makkah region Saudi Arabia in interpreting common laboratory investigations like Complete Blood Counts. Methods: The current cross-sectional, quantitative and exploratory study was carried out at the Faculty of Medicine, Rabigh, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, from April 1 to April 20, 2022. An online questionnaire was circulated via various social media like Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. Results: A total of 1,010 respondents participated in the survey, representing an overall response rate of 70%. Among all the respondents, females were 677 (67%) while males were 333 (33%). There were 277 (27.4%), 479 (47.4%), and 254 (25.1%) students from the fourth, fifth, and sixth years, respectively. For most of the statements, more than 70% of students responded correctly, but particularly for three of the questions, students’ correct responses were 561 (55.5%), 518 (51.3%), and 491 (48.6%), which were not up to the mark. A gender-wise comparison showed that the percentage of correct answers given by female students was significantly higher than that of male students for all statements (p< 0.001). For most of the indices, more than 70% of students responded correctly, while for four questions, students’ correct responses were not up tothe mark. Comparison between students’ gender revealed that, apart from two, the percentage of female students who correctly interpreted the indices was significantly higher than that of male students (p 0.001). In the results of all participants’ responses to the clinical scenario interpretation the female students performed significantly better in scenarios 1 and 2 (p 0.001). Conclusions: Overall, our study participants’ comprehension of CBC values and interpretation of the case scenarios was adequate. On the other hand, female students demonstrated better conceptual understanding than male students. We recommend improving assessment systems to help students expand their interpretation skills. Key words: Complete Blood Count, interpretation, medical students, Saudi Arabia