Interventions using two teaching methods outperformed those using three, though based on few studies with wide confidence intervals¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r3 · q3 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i3 In the pairwise meta-analysis, interventions with two teaching methods (d = 0.96) performed better than those with three teaching methods (d = 0.36); the number of teaching methods was a statistically significant moderator. → Ngo Hazel 2025

Evidence¶

Ngo Hazel 2025¶

Ngo Hazel, Sokolovic Nina, Hu Julia, Jenkins Jennifer. (2025). A systematic review identifying effective teaching methods and their combinations for increasing empathy in physicians: pairwise and network meta-analysis. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07917-x

q3 · i3 · quant-synthesis · r3

Meta-regression of number of teaching methods in the pairwise meta-analysis (Table 2: Q = 10.02, p = .04). The article reports interventions "with two teaching methods (d = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.47, 1.45) performed better than those with three teaching methods". The authors caution only a small number of studies represented these combinations and replication is needed.

"The number of teaching methods in an intervention was associated with effectiveness, such that interventions with two teaching methods (d = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.47, 1.45) performed better than those with three teaching methods (d = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.40)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Including didactic teaching is associated with greater intervention effectiveness for teaching empathy to physicians — related
• Network meta-analysis ranks didactic-plus-rehearsal as the most effective empathy teaching-method combination, with six combinations significantly beating pure control — related