How to Teach Medical and Dental Students About Infection Prevention and Control? Comparison of Two Learning Methods

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to evaluate medical and dental students' evolution of knowledge and satisfaction after infection prevention and control (IPC) training using two methods. METHODS: We enrolled second-year medical and dental students who were naive to IPC knowledge. The students were randomly assigned to two groups (A and B). Group A followed a course in the conference room that included a slideshow with videos and interactive questions to captivate students and measure their level of understanding. Group B followed a course in the classroom with direct demonstrations and opportunities for students to practice. Only experienced IPC physicians were involved. The participants completed a standardised questionnaire about IPC before and after the teaching interventions to identify changes in knowledge. The participants were also asked to complete a satisfaction survey. RESULTS: A total of 226 second-year medical and dental students were enrolled. Students in both groups showed significant improvements in their knowledge. The relative change in knowledge (RCK) was 1.71 ± 1.20 (p < 0.0001) for Group A and 1.75 ± 1.15 (p < 0.0001) for Group B. The RCK was not significantly different between the two groups in terms of overall or per-topic scores (p > 0.05). Only 73 (32.3%) patients completed the satisfaction questionnaire. Satisfaction scores (out of 5) were significantly higher in Group B than in Group A on overall dimensions (4.59 vs. 4.40, p = 0.02), specifically learning objectives (4.83 vs. 4.37, p < 0.001) and interest (4.73 vs. 4.42, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: The two learning methods effectively improved student knowledge of IPC. These results suggest that, for IPC training and for students who are not yet comfortable with care, face-to-face practice in the classroom is more appreciated.