Diagnosongs: a novel approach to fuel active learning and creativity in undergraduate medical education

The holistic development of the knowledge-seeker has always been the endeavor of most educational institutions. At Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal Campus), Manipal, India, the personal and professional development module in the first-year medical curriculum addressed issues such as time and stress management, doctor-patient relationship, communication skills, empathy and team building. The present study was an effort to introduce two more aspects i.e., active learning and creativity into the curriculum. The students in the second semester of their MBBS course were divided into control (n=70) and 7 test groups (n=10 in each). Test groups were allotted a clinical topic based on which they were asked to construct a case scenario according to a template consisting of title, case history, clinical symptoms, laboratory investigations and treatment. After the check for plagiarism, the case scenarios were vetted by a clinician based on predetermined indicators. The case scenarios were then converted into ‘Diagnosongs’ (songs which would describe a clinical case based on which a diagnosis can be made). Students used power point slides and Adobe Flash to synchronize the presentation of the ‘Diagnosongs’ to an audience consisting of their classmates in the test groups and faculty. Each student in the audience was asked to give the diagnosis for the cases, and a week later answer an MCQ test based on the content of the case scenarios. Student and faculty feedback on the multiple benefits of this novel student-centered creative activity were collected on a 5- point Likert scale and have been discussed.