Insights of Medical Students and Graduates Toward Electronic Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Lebanon: A National Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the perceptions of Lebanese medical students and graduates regarding the switch to electronic learning (e-learning) and measures their psychological distress amid the COVID-19 pandemic, compounded by an unprecedented financial collapse and the August 4 Beirut blast. METHODS: This is a national cross-sectional descriptive study, consisting of a 48-item questionnaire, diffused online to Lebanese medical students between February 8 and 21, 2021. The survey divided into 5 sections assesses for (1) Sociodemographic information, (2) implemented changes in medical education delivery precipitated by the pandemic, (3) students’ perceptions regarding the effectiveness, advantages, and barriers of e-learning, and (4) role of e-learning in clinical training. Finally, students’ psychological distress was measured, using the Kessler 10-item distress scale (K10). Descriptive analyses were performed using Stata version 13 and Excel. RESULTS: 1060 responses were recorded (27% response rate) across all Lebanese medical schools. Although 71.6% of participants found e-learning to be stimulating, half of the participants thought it was not equally effective to face-to-face learning. Around 73.1% of students felt they were not able to learn hands-on clinical skills. Lebanese students identified cost savings (food, transportation etc) and poor internet connectivity are the most common advantage and barrier, respectively; 77.8% of participants showed high/very high levels of distress (K10 score ≥22). CONCLUSIONS: Ensuring accessibility and availability of resources such as electricity and internet is of utmost priority. Lebanese medical schools need to incorporate clinical training experiences to their virtual platforms to maintain the quality of medical education to their students. A particular attention to students’ mental health is warranted, by increasing awareness and access to mental health services.