Rigorously compare PBL with traditional methods before broad PGME implementation, using larger samples, controls, and follow-up¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 5 claims (2 for, 2 mixed, 1 against) · 1 study (1 review), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 5 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The review's future-directions recommendations call for comparative and better-powered evaluation of PBL in postgraduate family medicine before widespread adoption. The authors write that "Future studies should include larger sample sizes, control groups and follow-up assessments to assess the long-term effects of PBL," and that effectiveness should be compared to traditional teaching methods given PBL's requirement for high faculty workload and specialized training. They also call for research comparing synchronous results to asynchronous environments and investigating which topics, disciplines, and training stages PBL suits best.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Faculty preparedness and protected time, which the review names as implementation dependencies

Constraints¶

• The recommendation is scoped to family medicine PGME contexts reviewed here; the review notes PBL's high faculty workload and specialized training demands

Target Learners¶

• family medicine residents
• postgraduate medical educators designing residency curricula

Target Learning Goals¶

• determining the optimal role of PBL in residency training
• improving objective evaluation of PBL interventions

Claims¶

• Limited evidence suggests PBL participants implement practice changes, but behavior-change data are sparse and mostly non-significant [~W]
• PBL in family medicine residency programs is associated with high learner satisfaction, though not always rated above lectures [+W]
• Objective knowledge assessments show no significant improvement after PBL in family medicine residency, with gains comparable to lectures [-W]
• PBL shifts learners' opinions about topics modestly, and learners with strong pre-existing opinions are less likely to change [~W]
• One study found significantly higher patient breastfeeding rates among physicians who participated in case-based PBL training [+W]

Related Strategies¶

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• Future active-learning research should use randomised controlled designs with larger samples and standardised outcome measures
• Medical schools should investigate feasibility and acceptability of creative project-based lessons in their own curricula, using mixed-methods evaluation
• Conduct well-designed long-term randomized controlled trials of PBL in oral radiology
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Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Clemens Megan, Boparai Josheil Kaur, Dawe Russell, Avery Susan. (2026). Problem-based and related learning approaches in family medicine residency: a scoping review of four countries. Canadian Medical Education Journal. https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.81284