Value-Added Roles of Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Assessment of Medical Students’ Perceptions and Willingness in Sri Lanka

• Main Authors: Wickramasinghe ND, Jayarathne SW, Pilapitiya SD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2021-07-01
• Series: International Journal of General Medicine
• Subjects: covid-19; heath sector response; medical students; sri lanka; value-added roles
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/value-added-roles-of-medical-students-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-ass-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-IJGM

Nuwan Darshana Wickramasinghe,1 Shamalee Wasana Jayarathne,2 Senaka Devendra Pilapitiya3 1Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Saliyapura, 50008, Sri Lanka; 2Medical Education Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Saliyapura, 50008, Sri Lanka; 3Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Saliyapura, 50008, Sri LankaCorrespondence: Nuwan Darshana WickramasingheDepartment of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Saliyapura, 50008, Sri LankaTel [phone]Fax [phone]Email [e-mail]: Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an opportune time to introduce the value-added roles of medical students, this study assessed medical students’ perceptions and willingness to assist in COVID-19 health sector preparedness and response via value-added roles in Sri Lanka.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among all medical students studying in six batches of the Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, in June 2020. A Google form in English with 10 statements about individual perceptions of medical students’ roles and their willingness to assist in the COVID-19 health sector response via value-added roles was used to collect data. The responses were recorded on a five-point Likert scale. The chi-squared test for independence was used to explore the associations between the academic year and the responses to each statement.Results: Out of 856 (response rate 79.6%) study participants, the majority were females (n=601, 70.2%). The majority (n=804, 93.9%) reported that they have a responsibility to contribute to the country’s COVID-19 health sector response. There was a statistically significant association between medical students’ perceived level of clinical knowledge, having the clinical skills to assist in the COVID-19 health sector response and academic year (p< 0.001). The commonly identified value-added roles were developing (n=770, 89.9%) and disseminating (n=744, 86.9%) health education messages, and field contact tracing activities (n=653, 76.3%). Other value-added roles were assisting the curative health sector in COVID-19 patient management (n=380, 44.4%) and other non-COVID-19 patient management (n=463, 54.1%).Conclusion: Medical students are mostly willing to engage in preventive health sector value-added roles and, to a lesser extent, in curative health sector value-added roles during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, medical educators need to clearly define the value-added roles and provide adequate training and supervision for medical students across academic years to enable them to combine learning with making meaningful contributions to the health-care system during the COVID-19 pandemic.Keywords: COVID-19, health sector response, medical students, Sri Lanka, value-added roles