Development Strategies in Medical Education

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Raeisoon M, Azdaki N, Behjati F, Javadi A, Mohammadi Y. Perceived relevance of cardiovascular educational content in the general medicine clerkship and internship to professional needs: Perspectives of general practitioners in Birjand. DSME 2026; 13 (1) :63-74
URL: http://dsme.hums.ac.ir/article-1-549-en.html

Introduction: This study evaluated the perceived external quality of cardiovascular educational content—defined as its relevance to professional needs—during the general medicine clerkship and internship, from the perspective of general practitioners working in Birjand.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2023. The study population comprised 86 general practitioners working in health centers, clinics, hospitals, and private practices in Birjand. Based on the Krejcie and Morgan table, 70 participants were selected through random sampling. Data were collected using a 26-item researcher-developed questionnaire consisting of seven demographic items and 19 cardiovascular content items rated on a three-point scale (low, moderate, high). Qualitative content validity was reviewed by 10 experts, and Cronbach’s alpha was 0.81. Descriptive statistics and, exploratorily, a one-sample t-test using 1.5 as the reference value were applied.
Results:  Seventy general practitioners participated (mean age, 29.93±2.56 years). The overall mean perceived relevance score was 2.31±0.553 out of 3. The highest mean scores were reported for coronary artery disease (2.26), arrhythmias and electrocardiography (2.21), and clinical manifestations of cardiovascular disease (2.20). The lowest mean scores were reported for congenital cardiovascular diseases (1.51), cardiovascular pathology (1.57), valvular diseases and rheumatic fever (1.59), and infective endocarditis (1.59).
Discussion: Participants perceived the overall cardiovascular content as moderately to relatively well aligned with professional needs. Lower-rated topics may warrant priority in subsequent needs assessments and curriculum review. Because the findings are based on graduates’ perceptions, they should not be interpreted as direct evidence of educational effectiveness or clinical competence.