Application of narrative medicine in obstetrics and gynecology teaching: a randomized controlled trial in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

AIM  To analyze the effectiveness of narrative medicine in obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) teaching.

METHODS  A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 86 fifth-year undergraduate medical students during their OB/GYN clerkship at Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University. Participants were randomly assigned to either the control group (n=43), which received traditional instructor-led teaching, or the experimental group (n=43). The control group adopted the traditional teaching method (both theoretical courses and internship courses were mainly taught by teachers); The teaching method of the experimental group was the same as that of the control group in the theoretical course stage, and only in the internship stage, multi-level narrative medicine teaching was added, including narrative theory learning, narrative sharing, narrative interview, writing parallel medical records, reflection and clinical implementation. After the teaching, the theoretical examination results of the two groups of students before and after the internship were compared, and the changes of narrative ability and satisfaction with the teaching mode of the two groups of students before and after the internship were evaluated by questionnaire.

RESULTS After the internship, the theoretical score of the experimental group (92.7 ± 1.2) was significantly higher than that of the control group (90.1 ± 1.1) (P<0.01), The theoretical scores of the two groups were improved before and after the internship, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). Narrative ability: ① Comparison between groups: the score of the experimental group (152 ± 6) was significantly higher than that of the control group (120.1 ± 2.8) (P<0.01); ② Intra group comparison: there was no significant difference in the scores of the control group before and after the intervention (117 ± 7) vs. (120.1 ± 2.8); The score of the experimental group increased from (124 ± 8) to (152 ± 6) (P<0.01). In addition, the satisfaction of the experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group (P<0.01).

CONCLUSION  Integrating narrative medicine into OB/GYN clinical education enhances theoretical performance, cultivates narrative skills, and improves learner satisfaction, supporting its broader adoption in medical training.