Interpreting the New Competency-Based Medical Education Curriculum of Biochemistry for Undergraduate Medical Students in India: A Narrative Review

The Graduate Medical Education Regulations were amended in 2018 to implement the new competency-based medical education curriculum for undergraduate medical students in India from the 2019 admission batch onwards. In this review, we have analyzed the changes introduced in the new curriculum in the discipline of Biochemistry in terms of competencies, domains, levels of competency, teaching-learning methods, assessment methods, certifications, and integrations. Thereafter, we have synthesized and presented our analysis as a narrative review. In this new curriculum, competencies are presented in a tabular form. There are 89 competencies in Biochemistry, including 24 practical competencies. This Biochemistry curriculum covers 77 knowledge and 12 skills competencies. The attitude and communication aspects are taught separately to Phase I undergraduate medical students in Attitude, Ethics, and Communication modules. Teaching-learning methods in Biochemistry include lectures, small-group discussions, bedside clinics, practicals, demonstration-observation-assistance-performance, and skills lab sessions. For Biochemistry, 82 hours of large-group teaching, 157 hours of small-group teaching/practical/tutorial/seminar, and 10 hours of self-directed learning are recommended. The lower tiers of the Miller’s pyramid of clinical competence, “knows” and “knows how,” are assessed by the written theory examination, while the “shows how” level is assessed by objective structured clinical examinations and direct observation during practical procedure. Eight Physiology competencies are horizontally integrated with the Biochemistry curriculum. 8 Pathology, 4 Dermatology, 1 Ophthalmology, 11 General Medicine, 41 Pediatrics, and 4 General Surgery competencies are vertically integrated with the Biochemistry curriculum. Integrated teaching provides early clinical exposure and helps undergraduate medical students gain a blended concept by linking the topics from the viewpoint of different disciplines.