Case-based in-person teaching improves self-directed mastery of the MDS-UPDRS motor scoring

This study aims to evaluate a novel integrated teaching model for learning the Movement Disorder Society–Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale Part III (MDS-UPDRS-III). The model combines self-directed video learning with case-based, in-person teaching. A total of 23 non-expertise neurology residents from Peking Union Medical College Hospital participated the study. The training program comprised four stages: video-based self-learning, a pre-training assessment (Case 1), expert-led offline instruction with case analysis, and a post-training assessment (Case 2). The rating accuracy and scoring errors for individual items were compared before and after the training. A subgroup analyses was conducted to assess the learning outcomes among physicians at different levels. The total scoring error decreased significantly after training (median score reduced from 13 to 12, P = 0.002). Significant improvements were observed in the accuracy of non-tremor items, such as speech, postural stability, and freezing of gait (p < 0.05), while the accuracy of certain tremor items declined due to increased case difficulty. Subgroup analysis indicated that participants with little or no prior MDS-UPDRS assessment experience, and junior physicians with 1–5 years of work experience demonstrated the most significant reduction in scoring errors (p < 0.05). In contrast, senior or highly experienced physicians showed no substantial improvement. The novel integrated teaching model that comprising self-directed video learning and case-based in-person sessions, enhances non-expertise neurology residents’ competency in MDS-UPDRS-III scoring. This approach is particularly beneficial for less experienced clinicians, allowing them to quickly master the scale, and has significant potential for widespread application in neurology training.