Effect of an Integrated Case-based Nutrition Curriculum on Medical Education at Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Iran

INTRODUCTION: Nutrition education is identified as an important part of medical education by organizations. Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, school of medicine (QUMS SOM), has a required basic nutrition course of 36 hr in second year of medical school, but education experts reports show that the course does not provide required therapeutic skills for graduate student. METHOD: We decided to organize an 8-hr diet therapy work shop in order to develop a patient experience clinical based case study teaching to enhance clinical skills at QUMS SOM. RESULTS: Students’ perception score about adequacy of nutrition instruction increased from 20% (at baseline) to 70% (after intervention). The mean nutrition knowledge score of total students in clinical nutrition were different between before and one month after integration (8.3±2.5, 13.4±3.2, P < 0.001). And two groups of participants including staggers and interns had similar nutritional knowledge score at pre-test (7.9±2.6 and 8.9±2.3 respectively). CONCLUSION: Implemented nutrition curriculum at QUMS was appropriate method to enhance student’s perception about nutrition integration and to increase and translate the knowledge to clinical practice.