Developing critical appraisal skills among undergraduate students by early research exposure: an interventional study

Early research exposure (ERE) amongst undergraduate (UG) medical students in a participant-centered approach can foster critical thinking skills for professional advancement. Evaluating the impact of ERE on skill development across different semesters of undergraduate medical students is essential to generate objective evidence on its effectiveness. Using a pre-post interventional study design, we assessed the effect of ERE on improving critical appraisal skills among 29 UG medical students using Critical Appraisal Skill test (CAST) and Population Intervention Comparison Outcome (PICO) tests. The intervention consisted of participant centered activities on framing a research question and writing a research protocol. The data were analyzed both before and after the intervention, and between juniors and seniors. Qualitative feedback was obtained from the participants about their overall experience and perceived improvement in the critical appraisal skills. A paired analysis of pre- and post-test results of CAST and PICO scores from 23 students using Wilcoxon Signed Rank test was significant (p < 0.001). Further, Mann–Whitney U-test analysis comparing junior and senior medical students showed that senior medical students achieved significantly higher CAST scores (Pre-test p = 0.046, Post-test p = 0.008), while no statistical significance (Pre-test p = 0.064, Post-test p = 0.916) for differences in PICO scores. Qualitative feedback further supported these findings, with participants expressing satisfactory experience and improved research writing and critical appraisal skills. Participants reported motivation to pursue future research activities. An early research exposure using a structured participant-centered approach can equip UG medical students to enhance their critical appraisal skills, as demonstrated by objective and qualitative measures.