Integrated PBL curriculum and basic sciences – mission (IM)possible?

Ute Tautenhan*¹, Dagmar Rolle², Jörg Pelz², (1) Klinik am Park, (2) Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, GERMANY.

PURPOSE: Basic science concepts are thought to receive not enough attention in integrated PBL curricula. Nevertheless they are implicitly present and may be notably hidden in an ‘organ and periods of life’ structured PBL based curriculum. We analysed which basic concepts were covered by the learning targets of the students during the first 5 semester of a PBL curriculum.

METHODS: The learning targets of all PBL groups (9 per semester) of the first 5 semester of the reformed curriculum at the Charité (Berlin) – resulting in more than 600 sessions - were analysed for their content. The analysis was done independently by two physicians (one in addition a basic scientist).

RESULTS: About 40% of the learning targets formulated by the students addressed basic science concepts or issues. The targets were formulated in different quality and variable depth. They comprised a sufficient high amount of knowledge necessary to analyse clinical problems.

CONCLUSION: The rationale to teach content through patient cases is to provide students with a context so that they can see the clinical relevance of the basic science concepts at once and so that they can instantaneously use them for solving the cases. This aim is sufficiently achieved in the Berlin reformed curriculum.