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INTRODUCTION: The rapid advancement of technology and the integration of innovative medical devices are significantly transforming medical education. This review examines the impact of these changes and the importance of adapting educational strategies to leverage these advancements. AREAS COVERED: This narrative review employs a qualitative approach. From an initial pool of 294 articles, researchers conducted independent screenings and identified 134 studies relevant to innovations in technology and their impact on medical education. Following a comprehensive review and consensus, studies deemed to be of low relevance were excluded, resulting in a final selection of 74 articles. An expert panel discussion was held, and the study concludes with a final section that presents the findings and offers brief, clear recommendations. EXPERT OPINION: This study indicates that the utilization of Innovative medical technologies has the potential to enhance learning outcomes. The use of simulations allows students to engage in hands-on practice without risking patient harm. Mobile devices afford students uninterrupted access to educational resources, thereby enabling efficient learning. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to personalize education, enhance diagnostic skills, and foster critical thinking. Further research in this field has the potential to yield significant insights.

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Background: At the University of Tasmania (UTAS), pharmacy education traditionally relies on placements to provide students with hands-on experience. However, these placements have become increasingly limited due to logistical challenges and growing student numbers. Computer-based simulation (CBS) has the potential to offer a scalable, effective alternative to enhance learning and critical thinking. However, integrating CBS in pharmacy education faces several barriers that must be addressed for successful implementation. Objective: To gain insight into pharmacy educators' and students' views regarding the barriers, and potential solutions, to integrating CBS in pharmacy practice education. Methods: This mixed-methods case study involved semi-structured interviews with pharmacy educators and quantitative surveys with pharmacy students. The data underwent thematic coding for interview transcripts and statistical analysis for survey responses. The findings were integrated by examining convergence, complementarity, and discrepancy, revealing insights into how pharmacy students and educators perceive implementation barriers and improvement strategies for CBS. Results: Ten interviews were conducted, and 75 survey responses were collected, with a 62.5% response rate. Key barriers to CBS integration included educators' heavy workload, scepticism about CBS's educational value, and general integration challenges. Students, however, showed high acceptance of CBS, with 70.7% agreeing that CBS could assess their knowledge, 69.3% emphasising its role in developing problem-solving skills, and 80% viewing CBS as a complement to classroom study. Proposed solutions for enhancing CBS uptake included additional institutional support by appointing dedicated simulation technicians, leveraging champions to advocate for CBS, and aligning CBS with educational objectives. Conclusion: A significant gap between students' readiness and educators' hesitancy to use CBS in pharmacy education was identified. While students are eager to adopt new technologies, educators expressed reservations, primarily due to workload concerns and uncertainties about the efficacy of CBS. The feedback from educators suggests that institutions may see improved uptake by employing dedicated support personnel and initiating targeted training programs. Future research should focus on exploring barriers and facilitators, using larger and more diverse samples, and gaining deeper insights into decision-makers' perspectives to enhance the integration and efficacy of CBS in pharmacy education.

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Purpose: Sex and Gender-Based Medicine (SGBM) addresses the influence of sex and gender on health and healthcare, emphasizing personalized care. Integrating SGBM into medical education is challenging. This study examines the implementation of an SGBM course in an Israeli university during the first year of the medical school. Methods: The course integrated lectures, group work, online gender studies resources, workshops, teacher training, and essential literature. The curriculum spanned pre-clinical and clinical aspects, featuring seven 90-minute sessions. Surveys assessed course structure, content, and lecturers using a 5-point Likert scale and qualitative feedback. Quantitative analysis involved descriptive statistics, and thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. Results: Of the 84 students surveyed, 35 (41.7%) responded to the first part, and 30 (35.7%) to the second. The SGBM course received high satisfaction with an average score of 3.63, surpassing other first-year courses (average 3.21). Students appreciated the supportive academic atmosphere (mean score 4.20) and diverse teaching methods (mean score 4.03), while the development of feminist thinking was less appreciated (average score 3.49). Lecturers received high ratings (average score 4.33). Qualitative feedback highlighted the value of group work, the significance of the subject matter, and the helpfulness of supplementary videos. Students requested more content on contemporary issues like gender transition and patient perspectives. The feminist medicine aspect was contentious, with students seeking better gender balance and scientific evidence. Conclusion: Introducing SGBM into the first-year curriculum yielded positive results with high student satisfaction for content and lecturers. An expanded course module is planned, to be assessed at the end of the next academic year.

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OBJECTIVE: The integration of curriculum is an important approach for enhancing medical education and facilitating interdisciplinary connections among students. This study aimed to develop a new morphological integrated teaching mode for undergraduate stomatology education by combining stomatological pathology and radiology courses with instructional media. METHODS: In total, 63 undergraduates were included in this study and divided into three groups: traditional (Group T; the control group) and two experimental groups: KoPa WiFi EDU (Group K), and KoPa WiFi EDU-cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) (Group K-C). All participants attended a 2-h lecture on periapical cysts and completed the first theoretical test. Subsequently, they underwent a 4-h experimental training session on the pathology and radiology of periapical cysts using different teaching methods. Following the training, participants completed the second theoretical test and underwent the first image-reading skill evaluation. After a 3-month period, participants completed the third theoretical test and underwent the second image-reading skill evaluation. The effectiveness of the teaching methods was assessed by analyzing the differences in theoretical test and experimental skill evaluation scores. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the first theoretical outcomes among three groups (p > 0.05). However, the second theoretical scores, the first objective evaluation scores, and the first subjective evaluation scores were significantly higher in the integrated teaching mode (3D teaching mode with the KoPa WiFi EDU and CBCT: 89.29 ± 4.55, 81.00 ± 8.15, and 61.57 ± 5.52, respectively; 2D teaching mode with the KoPa WiFi EDU system: 80.43 ± 3.41, 73.00 ± 8.01, and 55.67 ± 5.66, respectively) than in the traditional teaching mode (72.57 ± 3.84, 69.38 ± 4.91, and 48.67 ± 5.54, respectively) (p < 0.05). Moreover, the long-term teaching effect of the integrated mode was better than that of the traditional mode (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The morphology-based integrated teaching mode combining pathology and radiology aroused student enthusiasm for learning, and resulted in enhanced learning outcomes in dental experimental education.

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INTRODUCTION: In the last decade, significant changes in pharmaceutical sciences have influenced the delivery of pharmacy education in Pharmacy programs. Integrated curriculum is one such method considered. We aimed to describe the perceived level of integrated curriculum among PharmD programs in the US. METHODS: From October 26th, 2021, until January 18th, 2022, faculty administrators across 138 US pharmacy colleges were surveyed. Data was collected regarding each program's perceived curriculum integration and assessment integration. Characteristics of each college, including region and the type of school (public/private), were obtained from the PharmCAS website. Programs were categorized into high-integration and low-integration groups for analysis purposes. Descriptive and comparative analysis by the level of curriculum integration was performed. RESULTS: Overall, 60 colleges completed surveys (participation rate = 43.48%). Most schools were from the South region (38.33%) and public colleges (53.33%). The average perceived curriculum integration was 45% (SD = 23.69), while the average perceived assessment integration was 36% (SD = 25.52). Pharmacy practice [clinical sciences] (76.67%) was the most common discipline considered for integration, and the social and administrative sciences (21.67%) was the discipline least commonly considered for integration. Case-based learning (95%) was the most common pedagogy strategy to integrate knowledge from different disciplines. CONCLUSIONS: Integrated curriculum implementation in the US PharmD programs varied across colleges. While most programs integrated their clinical practice courses, social and administrative sciences was the course least commonly integrated. Very limited progress in assessment integration was perceived.

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Simulation refers to the replication of various elements of a real-world situation to achieve pre-specified objectives by enabling experiential learning. As the global burden of preventable medical errors remains high, simulation-based teaching may be used to standardise medical training and improve patient safety. With the same intent, the National Medical Commission has adopted simulation as part of the Competency Based Medical Education approach. Simulation-based training creates immersive and experiential learning, which keeps the new generation of learners actively involved in the learning process. Simulation is widely used to impart technical and non-technical skills for postgraduate trainees in anaesthesiology, but it is still not integrated as a structured part of the curriculum. This article aims to identify technical and non-technical skills that can be taught using simulation and suggests opportunities for using the existing infrastructure and resources to integrate simulation as part of the anaesthesiology training curriculum.

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Background: During Spring 2021, we piloted a course model that integrated the immune system and HEENT (head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat) by concurrently presenting them in the context of clinical cases. Immune system topics (e.g., infection, cancer) were tied to their manifestations in the HEENT system, and concepts from both systems were consolidated in weekly case-based learning and small group discussion (CBL/SGD) sessions. Methods: To evaluate students' perceptions of the effectiveness of this model, we administered to the class a voluntary survey containing closed- and open-ended items; conducted a focus group of 10 students selected via convenience sampling; and employed a mixed approach to analyze the resulting data, including multiple qualitative methods. Results: Thirty-nine of 74 students completed the survey (53% response rate). In response to the item related to overall effectiveness of using CBL/SGD for system integration, nearly half (48.72%) of these students rated the overall effectiveness as average. Constant comparison analysis of the qualitative data revealed three major themes-student satisfaction with integration of immunology and HEENT, content and time involved in CBL/SGD, and suggestions for improvement-and classical content analysis revealed the relative importance of these themes. Participants held positive and negative perceptions, expressed concerns regarding CBL/SGD (e.g., its helpfulness, complexity), and made suggestions for improvement of integration. Conclusions: Using multiple methods allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of students' perceptions of the new course model, and we have taken actions to improve course quality in the future.

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The field of medical academia presents a unique challenge in the professional development of individuals, as it requires balancing two distinct roles: that of a teacher and that of a researcher. This dilemma arises from the inherent tension between the educational responsibilities of imparting knowledge and the scholarly pursuits of generating new knowledge. In this commentary, we seek to explore the question of whether teachers or researchers should take precedence in the medical academic setting.

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Physiology is a critical subject that bridges basic and clinical medicine. The reform of physiology education is crucial to improving the quality of teaching and supporting student learning; however, there is a lack of comprehensive data documenting the current state of physiology education in medical programs in China. This study conducted an online survey among experienced teachers from the top 100 medical schools in the Chinese mainland in 2022. A total of 89 valid questionnaires were included in this study. In 57.3% of the surveyed medical schools, 70% of the physiology teachers have a Ph.D. degree, while the number of faculty members with a medical background has tended to decrease in 53.9% of the surveyed medical schools. Of the 89 medical schools, 62 have implemented physiology course integration, with 69.4% of the respondents believing that curriculum integration could enhance students' knowledge acquisition and application. The lecture hours per term are 50-70 and 71-90 in 49.4% and 42.7% of the 89 medical schools, respectively. The ratio of course duration of lecture to laboratory was 2:1 in 47.2% of the surveyed medical schools, while the ratio was between 1:1 and 2:1 in 47.2% of the surveyed medical schools, and only 5.6% of medical schools opted for a 1:1 course arrangement. For teaching methods, about 60% of medical schools used problem-based learning, case-based learning, and task-based learning (PBL/CBL/TBL) for clinical medicine students only, and 25.4% of medical schools applied PBL/CBL/TBL to all students. This study is conducive to promoting dialogue and communication among physiology teachers, administrators, and researchers.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study conducted a nationwide survey of the top 100 medical schools in the Chinese mainland in 2022 to provide first-hand data on the current situation and changes in physiology education and teaching in the Chinese mainland with focuses on the faculty composition, curriculum integration, teaching methods, and assessment modes, which is a microcosm of the reform and development of the medical education in the Chinese mainland, hoping to improve the quality of preclinical medical education.

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This article advances a dialogue for understanding curriculum integration as a form of radical pedagogy, starting from science education in times of climate crisis. The paper weaves Paulo Freire's work about a radical form of emancipatory pedagogy, bell hooks's proposal to transgress boundaries in teaching, and the landscape of identities for science persons in order to embrace a radical pedagogy for facing the climate crisis: an anti-oppressive curriculum integration practice. The issue of climate change education is discussed in its challenges as we present some findings about the role of policy in incorporating climate change in education in Chile and the experience of a teacher, Nataly, coauthor in this work, integrating curriculum as an action-research project. We propose that an anti-oppressive curriculum integration emerges from converging two approaches: curriculum design intended for sustaining democratic societies and thematic investigations proposed for liberatory practices of the oppressed.

Este artículo avanza en un diálogo para la comprensión de la integración curricular como una forma de pedagogía radical, iniciándola en la educación científica en tiempos de crisis climática. El trabajo entreteje los planteamientos de Paulo Freire para una forma radical de pedagogía emancipatoria, la propuesta de bell hooks de transgredir los límites en la enseñanza, y el panorama de identidades para personas de ciencia a fin de embarcarse en una pedagogía radical que enfrente la crisis climática: una práctica de integración curricular anti-opresiva. El tema de educación en cambio climático se discute en sus desafíos mientras presentamos algunos hallazgos respecto del rol de la política en la incorporación del cambio climático en la educación en Chile y la experiencia de Nataly, profesora y co-autora en este trabajo, integrando el currículum en un proyecto de investigación acción. Proponemos que una integración curricular anti-opresiva es el resultado de la convergencia de diseños curriculares hechos para la mantención de sociedades democráticas y las investigaciones temáticas propuestas para las prácticas liberadoras de las personas oprimidas.

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Since 2016, Binzhou Medical University began to carry out the blended learning reform in the organ-systems based curriculum (OSBC) of the experimental class of clinical medicine. Based on the traditional face-to-face teaching method, the blended learning mode of the integrated course of endocrine system under OSBC has been carried out by using the small private online course (SPOC) of MOOC platform of China universities. Many teaching methods have been adopted and formed, including case-based learning (CBL), problem-based learning (PBL), professional bilingual teaching, scientific research teaching and virtual simulation experiment teaching. The evaluation system for the combination of formative and summary assessment has been also adopted in the whole process to assess the students' academic achievement, and the teaching effect as well. The blended learning mode of the integrated course of the endocrine system under OSBC is still in the exploratory stage. There are some limitations, such as too high requirements for teachers' quality, long preparation time for teaching, and great difficulty in supervising online learning. However, the practice of teaching reform that has been carried out shows that it is effective, feasible, and worth popularizing.

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Periodontology is one of the important disciplines in oral clinical medicine, which covers a wide range of subjects and intersects with many basic disciplines. Under the environment of the implementation of modular teaching in Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, the assessment method with separate propositions for the teaching and research section is still adopted. There is a mismatch between the assessment mode and the curriculum setting; the basic subject propositions are difficult to be combined with clinical cases; the knowledge point assessment is single, and the students' ability to integrate the knowledge points cannot be assessed. The development and construction of the comprehensive examination database for periodontology was based on curriculum integration, gathering the teaching backbones of various disciplines, focusing on periodontology, radiating all related disciplines, unifying the proposition outline, proposition type, proposition principle, combining with relevant knowledge points of various disciplines based on clinical cases, and tried to apply to clinical students majoring in stomatology. The use of the examination database promotes students' ability to flexibly apply theoretical knowledge to clinical case analysis, further promotes the reform of modular teaching, lays a solid foundation for future clinical work, and meanwhile provides an important basis for directions of the teaching and research section.

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Air Force Medical University has constructed an integrated clinical diagnosis curriculum system for undergraduate students based on military medical service and established the teaching methods of diagnostic evidence orientation, diagnostic method guidance, and diagnosed case practice. In the context of the new epidemic situation, we have also formed the blended teaching model of "triad training" and "four methods", optimized the teaching process of theory and practice, incorporated the contents of military medicine, determined the teaching objectives of this curriculum system at the three levels of knowledge, ability, and quality, completed the construction of the core curriculum, and applied it to the teaching practice. This curriculum system has achieved significant improvements in the degree of satisfaction among teachers and students and the excellent rate of military medical skill examination, which better meets the practical needs of medical service personnel training in air force.

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In response to a University of California systemwide initiative to expand the knowledge base of climate change, two half-day workshops were held for faculty in the College of Health Sciences at the UC Irvine. In the first workshop, 20 participants who teach in the Schools of Nursing, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Pharmaceutical Science, or the Program in Public Health convened to explore concepts of sustainability, theoretical models of curriculum integration, challenges to adding new competencies into professional training, and strategies for integrating climate change modules and case studies into the curricula. The second half-day workshop was held a year after the first workshop to review how faculty members have modified their syllabus to integrate climate change information with varying degrees of success. A case study is presented regarding an asynchronous fully online course Introduction to Global Health, which is open to enrollment by students from all campuses of the University of California. The outcomes revealed preferential adoption of models of curriculum integration which minimized disruption of the sequence of topics in pre-existing courses. These include, for example, the use of longitudinal climate datasets for quantitative analysis of disease outcomes, and description of episodic events involving extreme weather conditions to explore differences in social determinants of vulnerability to climate change impacts in different populations. Integration of climate change as a distinct topic seems easier in elective courses in comparison with required courses designed to cover pre-established professional knowledge, competencies, and skills. The emergent requirement for interprofessional training in the health sciences provides an opportunity for the development of a cross-cutting competency domain including climate change as a unifying theme in a stand-alone course or set of courses in a sequenced model of curriculum integration.

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Social determinants of health (SDOH) directly contribute to health inequities among populations and communities. These structural and social forces impact health and health outcomes. Nurses play a vital role in addressing the SDOH and closing gaps relative to disparate outcomes. Integration of SDOH in nursing curriculums has become highly prioritized in nursing education as marginalized communities continue to experience inequities in health, which have been highlighted during the COVID pandemic. Many schools of nursing have embedded SDOH in course content throughout curricula but lack a structured approach to appraise the effectiveness of incorporating these concepts. This paper describes a framework used to evaluate SDOH integration in pre-and post-licensure curriculum.

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OBJECTIVE: To explore the perceptions of the faculty regarding the level of curriculum integration and their interpretation of the integration ladder in achieving the complex process. Methods: The qualitative exploratory study was conducted at Islamic International Medical College Islamabad, University College of Medicine and Dentistry Lahore and Rehman Medical College Peshawar, from March to August 2018. The participants were the faculty members involved in the designing and implementation of the integrated curriculum in these institutes. The semi-structured interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using Braun and Clarke's thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Of the 18 faculty members, 6 (33.3%) belonged to each of the three institutions. Four themes identified were: curriculum planning, an uphill task; dream versus ground reality; moving up and down the ladder; and teamwork in the paradigm shift. There were different perceptions of the level of integration among faculty members within the same institute. The level of integration ranged from 5-9 in different phases of the curriculum. The processes included all the teamwork steered by the departments of medical education. Conclusion: Although Harden's integration ladder is a useful tool, curriculum integration is an inherently inconsistent and complex process that does not follow a simple hierarchical continuum of integration and requires a teamwork. Identifying the patterns of integration in different phases of the curriculum might be more practical than just determining a single level of integration in the whole curriculum.

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Instructors and administrators recognize that our world demands graduates who are not only prepared to meet today's challenges but are also equipped to tackle novel problems of the future. This article describes the creation of an interdisciplinary, team-taught course designed using features of collaborative learning and problem-based learning with a focus on the impact of teaching with a large number of faculty. The course was well-received by students with positive feedback about integration of previous curricular content and a low-pressure learning environment. However, the course was not without its challenges. Participation from over half of the program's teaching faculty required a considerable investment of time and resulted in weekly inconsistencies throughout the semester. This article highlights successes, challenges, and recommendations for others seeking to design a course with a similar number of faculty. This course style is referred to as a "massive, multi-team organized (MMO) course."

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Objective: Open science (OS) is a global movement focused on improving research equity, reproducibility, and transparency of research outputs in publicly funded research. While OS education in academia is becoming more common, examples of health sciences librarians providing OS training are not. This paper describes how a librarian collaborated with teaching faculty and a research program coordinator to integrate an OS curriculum into an undergraduate professional practice course and assess students' perceptions of OS after participating. Methods: A librarian developed an OS-specific curriculum for an undergraduate professional practice course in Nutrition. This course is part of the First Year Research Experience (FYRE) program, which is integrated into 13-week undergraduate courses to introduce students to core elements of the research process in their first year of study by carrying out a research project. The OS curriculum included an Introduction to OS class, a requirement that students share their research outputs in the Open Science Framework, and an assignment asking students to reflect on their experience learning about and practicing OS. Twenty-one of 30 students consented to having their reflection assignment undergo thematic analysis. Results: Students indicated transparency, accountability, accessibility to research outputs, and increased efficiency as positive attributes of OS. The time commitment, fear of being scooped, and concerns over having research be misinterpreted were considered negative attributes. 90% (n=19) of students indicated that they intend to practice OS in the future. Conclusion: Based on strong engagement from the students, we believe that this OS curriculum could be adapted to other undergraduate or graduate student contexts where a research project is required.

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Taking the curriculum integration of skin diseases as an example, this paper summarizes the skin diseases with high incidence in the army such as acne, tinea pedis, warts, folliculitis, corns and calluses, sunburns, etc. The results have been applied to the integration of the skin disease curriculum in Air Force Medical University. During the course integration process, we integrated the courses of dermatology, plastic surgery and burn surgery together, and simplified the teaching content according to the "organ-system" orientation and features of military medical university. In the teaching process, the PBL teaching method was used to guide the students to discuss with the problems. At the end of the course, the students were assessed by tests, and the satisfaction evaluation were carried out. The results showed that the application of high incidence of skin diseases in the army in curriculum integration can help improve the teaching effect and the satisfaction of students, which will provide a certain reference for the curriculum integration reform of military medical universities.

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As a clarion call by Higher Education HIV/AIDS programme (HEAIDS) to South African universities, entrenching, integration and infusing the teaching and learning of HIV/AIDS in the curriculum of universities prove to be a sustainable solution to changing risky behaviour and attitudes of university students towards HIV/AIDS. The majority of students in South African universities lack general awareness and education in HIV/AIDS. This raises the need to produce graduates who are knowledgeable and have a positive attitude regarding HIV/AIDS. A pilot study on HIV/AIDS curriculum integration at the University of Fort Hare involved academic staff was done. A qualitative case study approach was used to describe the process and effectiveness of the curriculum integration process. The data collection was through evaluation forms, reports and a focus group interview. Data were analysed using content analysis. Guskey's model for professional development was followed to understand the process and effect of curriculum integration. Initially, the academic staff anticipated that the HIV/AIDS curriculum integration process would result in credit overload for students, time constraints and increased workload. Later, most academic staff affirmed the benefits of being involved in the project such as improving teaching and facilitation styles and research.

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