A randomized controlled trial of high-fidelity simulation versus lecture-based education in preclinical medical students

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of simulation versus lecture-based education among preclinical medical students. Methods: Twenty medical students participated in this randomized, controlled crossover study. Students were randomized to four groups. Each group received two simulations and two lectures covering four different topics. Students were administered a pre-test, post-test and delayed post-test. The mean percentage of questions answered correctly on each test was calculated. The mean of each student's change in score across the three tests was used to compare simulation- versus lecture-based education. Results: Students in both the simulation and lecture groups demonstrated improvement between the pre-test and post-test (p < 0.05). Students in the simulation group demonstrated improvement between the immediate post-test and delayed post-test (p < 0.05), while students in the lecture group did not demonstrate improvement (p > 0.05). When comparing interventions, the change in score between the pre-test and post-test was similar among both the groups (p > 0.05). The change in score between the post-test and delayed post-test was greater in the simulation group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: High-fidelity simulation may serve as a viable didactic platform for preclinical medical education. Our study demonstrated equivalent immediate knowledge gain and superior long-term knowledge retention in comparison to lectures.