Distance education in medical schools: the experience and opinions of academicians and students

Aims: This study aims to identify the thoughts and opinions of medical schools’ students and academicians about the distance medical education and examination system that has been rapidly applied during the COVID-19 pandemic Methods: A ques- tionnaire was prepared via Google Forms which consisted of a total of 3 sections. Informed consent was obtained in the first section and participants were directed to “student” or “academician” section. There were 28 questions for the students and 24 questions for the academicians. Categorical variables were demonstrated as numbers and percentages, whereas continuous variables were presented as minimum, maximum, and mean values. Chi-squared test was used to compare preclinic and clinic year students, and the academicians in preclinic, medical, and surgical fields. Results: A total of 321 participants completed the questionnaire. The mean participant ages were 21.4 years and 41.68 years for the students and the academicians, respectively. Only 30% of the students thought the distance education lessons were beneficial while it was 35.5% for the academicians. 25.8% of the academicians and 29.6% of the students were indecisive on the matter. When the examination process was taken into account 67.7% of the academicians and 56.9% of the students thought the online examinations were not reliable. Conclusion: It is predicted that the pandemic process will continue in the next academic years. Considering the current situation, distance education seems to be the best option to ensure that the learning process can continue while protecting the health of students and academicians. Although distance education is not sufficient by itself in medical education during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a method that should be used in almost every field of medical education, especially in the preclinical phase. Both the distance education, and online examination process require improvements and they are needed to be supported with face to face lectures and practices.