Impact of Medical Education in Middle School, Directed by a Science Teacher and a Healthcare Professional, on Self-Medication and Care System Literacy. A Comparative Prospective Cohort Study

Objectives: To assess the immediate and six-month follow-up effects of medical education simultaneously provided by a practitioner and a science teacher on middle school students regarding self-medication and knowledge of the healthcare system.Methods: Two groups were constituted: the learning group (L group), with students receiving an interactive medical education, and the control group (C group), which included students without medical education.Both groups were evaluated by using a six-multiple choice question (MCQ) evaluation form: three times for L group -just before the medical workshop (T 0 ), immediately after the medical workshop (T 1 ) and at six-month follow-up after the medical workshop (T 2 ) -and only the evaluation at T 0 for students in C group.Results: In L group (n=219), medical education improved all results of the evaluations related to self-medication skills (p<0.001) and knowledge of the healthcare medical system (p<0.001).