Instructional Video versus Real-time Demonstration for Training Phase I MBBS Students in Basic Clinical Skills: A Quasi-experimental Study

Introduction: Clinical skill training is traditionally imparted through demonstrations, where students directly observe the procedure. However, with increasing student numbers and limited faculty, real-time demonstrations may face issues such as overcrowding, limited opportunities for supervision and inconsistency when taught by different faculty. Instructional videos for clinical skills are now gaining attention as an alternate teaching method. Aim: To compare the effectiveness of instructional video with real-time demonstration, for training in basic clinical skills, among phase I MBBS students, and to analyse the perception of students of the two methods. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in the Department of Physiology of Sree Gokulam Medical College and Research Foundation, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, from February 2025 to July 2025. It included 150 MBBS students of phase I. Six clinical skills in physiology were selected for teaching, which included knee jerk, biceps jerk, plantar reflex, pupillary light reflex, ocular movements and Rinne’s test. Students were divided into three batches of 50 each. Each batch was further divided into two groups of 25 each; one group was trained in a clinical skill by real-time demonstration, whereas the other group was taught using an instructional video, recorded in the department. Following the intervention, the students in both groups were assessed by an Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) by faculty in the department. After three sessions, crossover was done so that all students could be exposed to both teaching methods. The preference of students to both methods was assessed by a 5-item Likert scale. The post-intervention OSPE scores were compared, and statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Out of the 150 students included in the study, 108 were females and 42 were males. The participants were aged 18–21 years, with a mean age of 19.2±1.4 years.Students taught via instructional videos showed significantly higher median and mean OSPE scores for plantar reflex {median of 4 (IQR 3-4), mean score of 3.68±1.03, p-value