Effectiveness of peer-assisted learning versus video-based learning in teaching pediatric neurological examination to medical undergraduates-A comparative study

Objectives In the present medical curriculum, there is a pressing need for alternative teaching and learning methods for both theory and clinical evaluation. Peer-assisted learning (PAL) and Video-based learning (VBL) are two of them, and in the present study, we compared the effectiveness of PAL against VBL in teaching pediatric neurological examination to medical undergraduates. Material and Methods This educational interventional study was done on 60 phase III part 1 medical undergraduates of a tertiary care teaching hospital over three months. The students were randomly assigned to the two arms, i.e., PAL and VBL. A peer tutor identified and taught the PAL arm, and a structured educational video was given to the VBL arm, followed by a crossover between the arms. Students were assessed for the learning outcome using Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), and feedback on the teaching and learning methods was obtained from the students. Results VBL gave a mean score of 7.49 with SD 1.85, and PAL gave a mean score of 6.56 with an SD of 1.9, which was statistically significant ( p value 0.00029) though PAL was better in certain aspects of neurological examination. The feedback analysis of the students’ perception showed that students accepted VBL for future teaching compared to PAL. Conclusion The present study concluded that, though overall VBL performed better as a teaching method for pediatric neurological examination, in certain areas of examination, PAL scored more. In conclusion, both these methods can be used to aid routine teaching.