Breast disease and undergraduate medical education: A randomized trial to assess the effect of a home study module on medical student performance

Background This study sought to demonstrate the effectiveness of a home stu dy module (HSM) on student performance at a large urban medical school. Met hod. Second-year Students were randomized to receive: 1) a HSM in addition to regular teaching of clinical breast examination or, 2) the regular teach ing alone. The HSM included adult learning principles, problem,based learni ng, and practice guidelines. Students completed a pretest, a post-test, and course evaluation. The pre, and post-tests examined students' knowledge an d comfort levels. Results. Of 176 students, 136 agreed to participate and 1 27 completed both pre- and post-tests. Baseline pretest indicated no signif icant difference between the intervention and control groups. Post-test sho wed that students receiving the HSM gained significantly more knowledge tha n had the control group, and their comfort levels shifted nonsignificantly more. Student evaluations indicated perceived value of the HSM. Interpretat ion. Student performance can be enhanced and comfort levels increased by pr oviding a critical core of knowledge in the form of a HSM. This approach ma y be applicable to other important subjects.