HISTOPATHOLOGY PRACTICAL SESSIONS AND THE THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE OF PATHOLOGY: CORRELATION AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION

Background: Histopathology practical sessions constitute a substantial bulk of pathology teaching in undergraduate medical school. This study aimed to assess the correlation between students’ scores in histopathology practical and pathology theoretical examinations and to explore the students’ perception. Methods: It was a prospective observational study conducted amongst 109 third year medical students at Shifa College of Medicine from 1st June 2019 to 30th March 2020. The histopathology practical were conducted through traditional microscopy sessions. Mean histopathology summative scores of 9 modules were correlated with the respective block integrated practical examination (IPE) scores. The perception of students regarding histopathology practical was explored through a questionnaire which comprised of eight items to be rated on a three-point Likert scale. Results: Correlation between the mean summative score with their respective IPE scores showed weak positive correlation (Block I: r=0.489, p<0.0001; Block II: r=0.468, p<0.0001; Block III: r=0.445, p<0.0001). Performance in IPE was found to be a weak predictor of performance in summative examination with an adjusted R2 of 0.194 in block I, 0.199 in block II and 0.201 in block III (p<0.0001). The questionnaire responses showed that students have difficulty in understanding the microscopic findings and they find it difficult to correlate them with the theoretical knowledge. Conclusion: There was no significant correlation between the students’ scores in histopathology practical and pathology theoretical examinations. The practical sessions need to be consigned and innovated with theoretical/clinical relevance in demonstration to augment basic pathological theory concepts and learning. Pak J Physiol 2022;18(4):27–30