Is online case-based learning effective in helping undergraduate medical students choose the appropriate antibiotics to treat important infections?

Background: Medical students are frequently confused about indication for and choice of antibiotic. We developed an online learning resource that focused on antibiotic stewardship and important infections where medical students could practise their antibiotic decision-making skills safely.

Methods: The resource was made available to third-year undergraduate medical students via their virtual learning environment. It covered the theory and fundamentals of antibiotic stewardship and five clinical cases covering important infections. We assessed the number of attempts taken to achieve the required level of understanding to pass each activity and surveyed a selection of students for their feedback.

Results: Of 310 students, over 80% engaged with the theory-based components, with an average score exceeding 90% (range 93.4%-99.7%). Eighty-three percent (258/310) engaged with the first two cases ( infection and pyelonephritis) but only 61% (189/310) of students completed the fifth case on bacterial meningitis. Only 49.4% (153/310) of students completed all five cases, with 48% (73/153) of these achieving ≥90% on their first attempt of the associated quizzes. Fifty-nine percent (23/39) agreed or strongly agreed that the quality of the learning resource was excellent. Seventy-two percent (28/39) agreed or strongly agreed that the objectives of the resource were relevant to their needs as undergraduate medical students. Only 33% (13/39) reported the resource would change their practice.

Conclusions: Student feedback was positive but engagement with the cases needs improvement. Highlighting the utility of case-based technology-enhanced learning as a safe place to practise antibiotic decision-making skills among students may improve this.