Evaluation of a mentored student project programme using reflective summaries
Devi V, Abraham RR. Natl Med J India. 2020 Mar-Apr;33(2):102-106.
This article is one amongst a very few* in PubMed that describes a project where medical students have been taught to write “reflective summaries” after doing a research project. Very simply put a reflective summary is a a write up “about the research experience” that each student went through. This – they had to do after completing a research project, writing an abstract and presenting a poster on the same. All students were part of an MSP – mentored student programme.
The authors have analyzed 41 reflective summaries by UG students that have described their learning experiences in many ways. Very interesting!
The BEST outcome appears to be that students who went through this research mentoring felt that they attained a positive attitude towards research, and that they wanted to do research in future and felt that they could serve society through research. What more could we ask for?
After all – the best treatment happens, when it is based on evidence, and evidence is what emerges from well done primary research, and further secondary research which synthesizes evidence from all available primary research.
If we want the best of treatment to reach out to the population isn’t great Indian research a must?