The use of virtual pathology in teaching medical students: first experience of a medical school in Thailand

Abstract

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Background and objective:Conventional light microscopy (CLM) has long been used as a teaching modality in pathology courses. Virtual microscopy (VM) has recently challenged traditional practices and revolutionized pathology education. However, most medical schools in Thailand still use CLM to teach pathology to medical students. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of VM in terms of undergraduate teaching as the primary experience at Thammasat University.Methods:Participants were 29 second-year medical students who sat in the practical session of the alimentary system pathology using VM as teaching modality. Students took pre- and post-tests with 12 questions covering common alimentary system diseases, followed by 10 survey questions with a five-point Likert-style scale. Test and satisfaction scores were analyzed.Results:There was a significant difference (p<0.01) between student pre-test scores (mean ± SD, 1.7 ± 2.1) and post-test scores (7.1 ± 3.4). VM was viewed as a preferred learning modality, mainly because of its portability (mean: 4.9 on the five-point Likert-scale), satisfactory quality of images (4.4), permitting learning in less time (4.3), and stimulating cooperation between students while improving interaction with teachers (4).Conclusions:Student perceptions of VM as a new teaching-learning tool and their outstanding performance on the knowledge exam suggest that VM has a potential role in undergraduate teaching. The results of this study help to improve pathology teaching strategy in the integrated curriculum.