Comparison of the learning and permanence outcomes of face-to-face and online simple suturing skill training for medical students

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effects of online education with face-to-face education on learning and retention in teaching simple suturing skills in pre-graduate medical education. Method: The research was designed with a randomized controlled experimental design. The research population consists of second-year students studying at Sivas Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine. 60 volunteer students were divided into control and study groups by simple random sampling method. In groups of six, simple suturing training was given for one hour, face to face to the control group and online to the study group. They were evaluated with an objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) one day after the training and in the third month. Checklist form and rubric evaluation form were used. Statistical analyzes were performed with the SPSS 25 package program. Data are presented with frequencies, mean and standard deviation. Independent samples T test, chi-square test, two-way repeated measures ANOVA test and ROC analysis were applied. Results: The average score of the students in their first OSCE is 25.9±5.6. Students in the control group have higher mean scores in both the first exam and the second exam than those in the study group (p=0.001; p=0.001, respectively). No significant difference was detected between the two measurements compared to the control and study groups (p=0.927). A significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of the rubric evaluation of the product they created (p<0.001). The exam score cut-off value for the first and second exams, which shows that the students can tie knots at a sufficient level, was calculated as 25.5. The rate of passing the exams was 80% and 90% in the control group, and 46.7% and 63.3% in the study group (p=0.007, p=0.015, respectively). Conclusion: With the online method, nearly half of the students were educated enough to receive a passing score. Although online training is not an alternative to face-to-face training, it can be used as a supplement.