High satisfaction with problem-based learning for anesthesia

Background: The aim of this study was to compare students' satisfaction between problem-based learning (PBL) and lecture-based traditional teaching of anesthesia. Methods: One hundred and thirty-seven fifth-year medical students were enrolled in a course which used a hybrid curriculum for teaching about anesthesia. The hybrid curriculum included 9 essential lectures and 3 related PBL case discussions. A Linkert 5-point scale was used for to assess students' satisfaction levels between PBL and lecture-based traditional teaching. Data were collected through a year-end questionnaire over 2 academic years from 2002 to 2003. Scores regarding the satisfaction levels between these 2 teaching methods were analyzed using a 2-sided paired t-test. Results: Most students preferred PBL over the lecture-based traditional teaching in the following 6 aspects: learning about anesthesia, understanding other medical knowledge, being interested in and motivated to learn, training for future work, training of personal abilities, and being confident and satisfied with the teaching method (p<0.05). However, traditional teaching was superior to PBL in enhancing the speed of learning with greater understanding of a basic knowledge of anesthesia, as well as in providing more solid content with understanding of a greater number of anesthetic techniques (p<0.05). Satisfaction levels with this curriculum did not generally differ between students enrolled in different classes in 2002 and 2003. Conclusions: Although the assessment tools and content of PBL need to be modified, implementation of PBL for teaching anesthesia showed satisfactory results.