Undergraduate Medical Education during Coronavirus Disease 2019: Scope and Limitations

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 has highly impacted the education system and has created trends in online classes. To fill in the gap created by lockdown and to continue the uninterrupted learning process, educational institutions worldwide started organizing online classes. Although medical education is mostly practical, it is not safe to conduct on campus classes. This study aimed to measure the scope and limitations of online education and the overall impact of COVID-19 on the medical education system.Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study. Ethical approval was obtained from the ethical committee of the South Point Hospital. Informed consent was obtained. Self-administered questionnaires were administered to participants.Results: E-Learning opportunities were made available in 98.69% of cases; some student forums also participated. Among survey respondents, females predominated (57.39%), and 42% of respondents belonged to rural areas and small towns. Access and quality of internet during online classes was average to poor in 54%, and only 10% said it was good. Zoom was the platform for classes in 98% of situations, followed by Facebook live (41.05%), prerecorded video upload, YouTube link, etc. Sixty percent graded the quality of online classes as good, 10% excellent, and 5% bad. Approximately 43% of the participants evaluated online assessments as good. Of the respondents, 17% faced substantial stress, and 18% did not. Twenty-eight percent of the students faced huge mental stress during COVID-19.Conclusions: E-learning is a new normal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the opportunity, medical students benefited greatly, but there was a technological divide. There were also financial and mental stresses to a certain extent.