Pros and cons of remote medical education in Ukraine in terms of COVID-19 pandemics

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 is an ongoing pandemic, which forced countries across the globe to adapt all daily activities to the new reality in order to stop the disease from spreading. The educational process was not an exception, it caused a sudden shift towards the exceptional introduction of online teaching and Kyiv Medical University was one of the first universities in Ukraine to assess the quality of education under the restrictive measures OBJECTIVES: The aim was to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of online education during the COVID-19 pandemic in the learning of neurology at the Department of Neurology, Psychiatry and Physical Rehabilitation, Kyiv Medical University. METHODS: 169 students were interviewed using an online questionnaire consisting of 18 items focused on different angles of educational process. RESULTS: According to the obtained results, the biggest pros of online teaching included: flexibility of learning schedule, learning at your own pace; ability to develop deeper problem-solving and clinical thinking skills. Social distancing, family distractions, and internet connection issues negatively affected most students' feelings during online learning. One of the most prominent cons of online learning of neurology pointed out by the majority of medical students was a lack of practical component of training and contact with patients. CONCLUSIONS: Online teaching, along with a number of advantages, has significant disadvantages, especially in medical education in case of studying clinical disciplines.