"kritische Diskussion sollte mehr gefördert werden! - Eine qualitative Auswertung der Lehrevaluation von Medizinstudierenden zur komplementärmedizinischen Lehre

Translated title of the contribution: Critical discussion should be encouraged! - A qualitative analysis of medical students' evaluation of a complementary medicine course

Jan Valentini*, Katharina Glassen, Christiane Eicher, Phoebe Washington-Dorando, Stefan Weinschenk, Berthold Musselmann, Jost Steinhäuser, Stefanie Joos

*Corresponding author for this work

Abstract

Background In 2002, the new version of the German Medical Licensure Act integrated Naturopathy and Complementary Medicine into the cross-sectoral unit 12 Rehabilitation, Physical Medicine and Naturopathy (QB12) of the medical undergraduate course. At the University of Heidelberg, Complementary Medicine (CAM) is an obligatory clinical subject of the medical undergraduate curriculum and is delivered in the form of lectures and small group work. As a central educational objective, medical students should be able to explain the principles of classical Naturopathy and the most commonly used CAM procedures. The aim was to explore the attitudes, learning needs and interests of medical students with regard to Naturopathy and CAM, and thus establish the teaching requirements. Methods The lectures and internships were evaluated using a faculty-based teaching evaluation form. The free-text of the evaluation forms between winter semester 2011/2012 and summer semester 2013 were assessed using Mayring qualitative content analysis. Results The free-texts were divided into three deductive main categories (Attitudes, Learning Needs and Interests) and further subcategories. A central topic was the polarization of views in medical students regarding CAM; it ranged from lively resistance to great enthusiasm. Strikingly, comments often showed that students had significant reservations with respect to CAM and would require further evidence from the teachers in order to embrace this concept. This was particularly prominent in the use of non-pharmaceutical methods. Discussion Our results show that evidence-based teaching, combined with practical experience, contributes positively to the critical appraisal of CAM amongst medical students. These findings can serve as the basis for planning, implementation and realization of CAM teaching within mainstream undergraduate medical education.

Translated title of the contributionCritical discussion should be encouraged! - A qualitative analysis of medical students' evaluation of a complementary medicine course
Original languageGerman
JournalDeutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift
Volume143
Issue number14
Pages (from-to)e125-e130
ISSN0012-0472
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.07.2018

Research Areas and Centers

  • Research Area: Center for Population Medicine and Public Health (ZBV)

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