A Comparative Study of Traditional Teaching versus Role-Play on Knowledge Acquisition and Communication Skills among MBBS Phase III (Part 1) Students at Autonomous State Medical College, Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

Background: Communication is defined as a purposeful process of expressing, receiving, and understanding messages containing factual information, feelings, ideas, and needs by two or more individuals through common symbols. In the context of medical education in India, various teaching–learning approaches are employed, including didactic lectures, role plays, seminars, case studies, demonstrations using videotapes, problem-based learning, and tutorials. These methods are designed to enhance the learning experience for medical students. Role plays, in particular, have gained popularity in medical education as effective tools for imparting knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Objectives: Compare the impact of traditional versus role play as teaching leaning method on the knowledge of Community Medicine phase III part 1 MBBS students. Assess the impact of traditional versus role play as teaching leaning method on communication skills of Community Medicine phase III part 1 MBBS students. Methods: This prospective interventional study was conducted in the Department of Community Medicine at Autonomous State Medical College, Shahjahanpur, spanning from September 2023 to December 2023. The study focused on a total of 100 Phase III part 1 MBBS students, with an anticipated enrolment of 90 students, accounting for potential absences. To facilitate the study, a total of 90 Phase III Part 1 MBBS students were involved, and they were organized into three batches, namely A, B, and C, each consisting of 30 students, based on their roll numbers. Within each batch, participants were further divided into two equal sub-groups, denoted as A1, A2; B1, B2; C1, C2. This comprehensive methodology ensures a thorough examination of the impact of role play and traditional teaching on knowledge acquisition and communication skills among the participating students. Results: Around 21% MBBS students’ preferred role play as teaching learning for instructional tool in teaching Community Medicine. The student of role play group scored more in post-test questionnaire as compared to group of traditional teaching & it was found statistically significant while applying t test. Using Kalamazoo Essential Elements checklist for Communication skills, the group of role play done well in all 7 elements of communication skills & found statistically significant. Conclusions: This study delves into the impact of role play on knowledge and communication, highlighting it as a potent intervention that can effectively enhance cognition, psychomotor skills, and affective domains in learners. Notably, the findings suggest that this type of instructional approach may particularly benefit students engaged in the Family Adoption Programme, preparing them to navigate real-life scenarios in the field where precise guidelines may be lacking. By immersing learners in practical situations, role play helps them familiarize themselves with handling diverse challenges in a composed and effective mannerital health records has revolutionized the healthcare industry by streamlining patient management, enhancing diagnostic precision, and improving treatment effectiveness. These are discussed in terms of secrecy by, Shannon, C. E [1] along with