COVID’S Impact on Medical Students’ Performance

Abstract

Objective: To find out the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of medical students and its repercussions on academic achievement. Methodology: Present cross-sectional study was carried out amongst the medical students of Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore. A sample size of 123 medical students filled a questionnaire-based survey of 21 questions, which were specifically designed to find the relationship between COVID-19, mental health, and its effect on medical education. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results: Out of all the participants, 70.7% received their education online. 67.6% had a negative impact on their mental health during the pandemic, and 26.8% had a mixed response of both positive and negative impacts. A total of 80.5% of students documented that their learning experience worsened over the last two years, and 48.8% of participants had a poor academic performance. 26.8% of the medical students experienced mixed academic performance, showing both improvements and decline. Out of the 26.8%, 45.4% of the students experienced challenges adapting to the new medium of learning, and 54.6% had reduced motivation and focus. There is a strong association between mental health and academic prowess, and the new medium of learning, lack of motivation, and declined focus are contributing factors to poor academic performance. Conclusion: It can be concluded that there is a strong relationship between mental health, learning experience, and academic achievement in medical students. The pandemic and isolation led to increased levels of mental stress, which then affected medical studies. For the majority of the students, there was a decline in mental health, academic learning, and academic performance. Keywords: COVID-19, mental health, stress, medical students, pandemic