Integrating biosafety into medical microbiology education: student awareness, experiences, and teaching preferences

BACKGROUND: In the context of rapid scientific advancement and global health challenges, biosafety has become a critical concern for public health, scientific responsibility, and global security. Yet, it remains underrepresented in medical education. Medical microbiology provides a strategic platform to cultivate biosafety awareness and competence in future healthcare professionals. Optimizing its integration requires understanding students' existing knowledge, their information sources, and the teaching strategies that most effectively enhance learning. This study examined biosafety awareness, educational exposure, and attitudes toward integrating biosafety into teaching. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was administered to second-year students about to begin their medical microbiology course, yielding 364 valid responses. Biosafety awareness, measured through knowledge scores, was compared across disciplines. Educational factors influencing these scores were then analyzed. Finally, students were clustered by their attitudes and engagement in biosafety learning, and their preferences for biosafety teaching methods were assessed. RESULTS: The analysis revealed significant discipline-based differences in biosafety awareness and educational exposure. Technically oriented students demonstrated significantly lower biosafety awareness compared to their academically and clinically oriented peers. Cluster analysis further identified distinct student profiles, characterized by differing levels of engagement. Notably, students with higher biosafety engagement favored structured teaching methods. CONCLUSION: The findings underscore the need for tailored biosafety education strategies within medical curricula. Strengthening biosafety education through medical microbiology teaching is a timely and necessary step toward preparing future healthcare professionals for the challenges of global health and scientific responsibility.