‘Blended learning’ as an effective teaching and learning strategy in clinical medicine: a comparative cross-sectional university-based study

ObjectiveBlended learning is a relatively new technology-based teaching approach. Few attempts have been made to use this approach in medical education. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of blended learning in studying family medicine as an example of a clinical medical science.MethodsThis comparative cross-sectional study involved 121 fourth-year medical students, at the clinical phase of a family medicine course at the College of Medicine, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunawwarah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The students were randomly divided into two groups: 61 taught by the traditional approach (face-to-face) and 60 taught by blended learning (both electronic and face-to-face). The effect of blended learning was evaluated from responses to the Dundee ‘ready education environment measure’ questionnaire. Clinical skills were assessed with the ‘objective structured clinical examination’; knowledge gain was assessed from a written multiple-choice examination; and problem-solving, critical thinking, decision-making skills and attitude were assessed in written and oral examinations based on clinical scenarios.ResultsBlended learning was statistically significantly better than traditional learning in all domains of the educational environment, except for social perception, and in all types of examination: written, objective structured clinical and case scenarios.ConclusionThe findings suggest that medical students, as adult learners, are open to new methods of learning. The blended learning approach is an effective method for teaching family medicine and may be applicable to other clinical medical sciences.