Online resources in supporting clinical education from the perspective of medicine academics

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the student experience with online strategies as facilitators of clinical learning in a medical course. Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative and qualitative study, carried out with 195 academics from a medical course in northern Brazil through the application of a questionnaire between October and December 2021, after approval by the Research Ethics Committee. Quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and the interpretation of qualitative data through Content Analysis. Results: The lectures gained a prominent position among the student experiences, although the virtual discussion of clinical cases has been pointed out as a promoter of greater learning. The effectiveness of online strategies in supporting clinical teaching was lower than traditional face-to-face teaching. The main advantage of online teaching was the possibility of recording a meeting, while the lack of self-discipline was the most mentioned disadvantage. The students' suggestions point to the interest in the experience with diversified and motivating methods in the improvement of clinical teaching. Conclusion: Online strategies in clinical teaching still do not seem to have reached their maximum potential to meet the educational demands of medical graduation, pointing to the need for actions that guarantee the quality of virtual pedagogical practices.