Medical education program restructuring according to the PUIGEP (prevalence, urgency, possible intervention, gravity, exemplarity, prevention) system

Abstract Introduction The evolution of the academic curriculum in medical school presents opportunities and challenges. The Bologna process has divided medical training into 3 cycles (License, Master, Doctorate), with each cycle assigned a number of credits. The aim of this work is to distribute the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Amer Sebaaly, Mohammad Daher, Lynn Abdo, Cesar Yaghi, Elie Nemr, Gaby Kreichati
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-07-01
Series:BMC Medical Education
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07598-6
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849764394840358912
author Amer Sebaaly
Mohammad Daher
Lynn Abdo
Cesar Yaghi
Elie Nemr
Gaby Kreichati
author_facet Amer Sebaaly
Mohammad Daher
Lynn Abdo
Cesar Yaghi
Elie Nemr
Gaby Kreichati
author_sort Amer Sebaaly
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Introduction The evolution of the academic curriculum in medical school presents opportunities and challenges. The Bologna process has divided medical training into 3 cycles (License, Master, Doctorate), with each cycle assigned a number of credits. The aim of this work is to distribute the 120 credits of the curriculum equitably between its various modules, using an objective method that takes into account students’ workload and study time. Materials and methods The curriculum credit allocation process involved an assessment of chapter relevance using a PUIGEP-MG (Prevalence, Urgency, possible Intervention, Gravity, Exemplarity, Prevention) questionnaire, as well as an assessment of workload by the students. Chapters were then weighted according to relevance and workload, and credits were distributed proportionally. This process ensured a balanced distribution of credits while considering the students’ needs and the clinical importance of the chapters. Results The results reveal that of 437 chapters spread over 26 modules, the majority were judged “Essential” (48.8%) or “Indispensable” (32.5%) in terms of relevance. 8.4% of the courses were eliminated or transferred. The workload was distributed equitably, with significant differences between 4th and 5th year courses mainly in the proportion of heavy workload (17% in 4th year vs. 2% in 5th year; p < 0.001) and in the average course weight (1.24 in 4th year vs. 1.14 in 5th year; p = 0.04). Credits were allocated according to chapter weight, with some modules receiving more than 6 credits. A grouping of subjects was proposed to balance the number of credits between semesters. Conclusion In conclusion, this study developed an objective framework for weighting medical courses, and aligning credit distribution with relevance and student workload. Furthermore. it optimized curriculum design by balancing semester loads, prioritizing general practice, and eliminating less pertinent courses. While innovative, limitations like unvalidated metrics invite future research to refine and enhance medical education frameworks.
format Article
id doaj-art-e9e05b9556bc42408c5070c5ff3eac96
institution DOAJ
issn 1472-6920
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series BMC Medical Education
spelling doaj-art-e9e05b9556bc42408c5070c5ff3eac962025-08-20T03:05:09ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202025-07-012511810.1186/s12909-025-07598-6Medical education program restructuring according to the PUIGEP (prevalence, urgency, possible intervention, gravity, exemplarity, prevention) systemAmer Sebaaly0Mohammad Daher1Lynn Abdo2Cesar Yaghi3Elie Nemr4Gaby Kreichati5School of medicine, Saint Joseph UnivesitySchool of medicine, Saint Joseph UnivesitySchool of medicine, Saint Joseph UnivesitySchool of medicine, Saint Joseph UnivesitySchool of medicine, Saint Joseph UnivesitySchool of medicine, Saint Joseph UnivesityAbstract Introduction The evolution of the academic curriculum in medical school presents opportunities and challenges. The Bologna process has divided medical training into 3 cycles (License, Master, Doctorate), with each cycle assigned a number of credits. The aim of this work is to distribute the 120 credits of the curriculum equitably between its various modules, using an objective method that takes into account students’ workload and study time. Materials and methods The curriculum credit allocation process involved an assessment of chapter relevance using a PUIGEP-MG (Prevalence, Urgency, possible Intervention, Gravity, Exemplarity, Prevention) questionnaire, as well as an assessment of workload by the students. Chapters were then weighted according to relevance and workload, and credits were distributed proportionally. This process ensured a balanced distribution of credits while considering the students’ needs and the clinical importance of the chapters. Results The results reveal that of 437 chapters spread over 26 modules, the majority were judged “Essential” (48.8%) or “Indispensable” (32.5%) in terms of relevance. 8.4% of the courses were eliminated or transferred. The workload was distributed equitably, with significant differences between 4th and 5th year courses mainly in the proportion of heavy workload (17% in 4th year vs. 2% in 5th year; p < 0.001) and in the average course weight (1.24 in 4th year vs. 1.14 in 5th year; p = 0.04). Credits were allocated according to chapter weight, with some modules receiving more than 6 credits. A grouping of subjects was proposed to balance the number of credits between semesters. Conclusion In conclusion, this study developed an objective framework for weighting medical courses, and aligning credit distribution with relevance and student workload. Furthermore. it optimized curriculum design by balancing semester loads, prioritizing general practice, and eliminating less pertinent courses. While innovative, limitations like unvalidated metrics invite future research to refine and enhance medical education frameworks.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07598-6Medical EducationMedical programMedical schoolPUIGEPBologna process
spellingShingle Amer Sebaaly
Mohammad Daher
Lynn Abdo
Cesar Yaghi
Elie Nemr
Gaby Kreichati
Medical education program restructuring according to the PUIGEP (prevalence, urgency, possible intervention, gravity, exemplarity, prevention) system
BMC Medical Education
Medical Education
Medical program
Medical school
PUIGEP
Bologna process
title Medical education program restructuring according to the PUIGEP (prevalence, urgency, possible intervention, gravity, exemplarity, prevention) system
title_full Medical education program restructuring according to the PUIGEP (prevalence, urgency, possible intervention, gravity, exemplarity, prevention) system
title_fullStr Medical education program restructuring according to the PUIGEP (prevalence, urgency, possible intervention, gravity, exemplarity, prevention) system
title_full_unstemmed Medical education program restructuring according to the PUIGEP (prevalence, urgency, possible intervention, gravity, exemplarity, prevention) system
title_short Medical education program restructuring according to the PUIGEP (prevalence, urgency, possible intervention, gravity, exemplarity, prevention) system
title_sort medical education program restructuring according to the puigep prevalence urgency possible intervention gravity exemplarity prevention system
topic Medical Education
Medical program
Medical school
PUIGEP
Bologna process
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07598-6
work_keys_str_mv AT amersebaaly medicaleducationprogramrestructuringaccordingtothepuigepprevalenceurgencypossibleinterventiongravityexemplaritypreventionsystem
AT mohammaddaher medicaleducationprogramrestructuringaccordingtothepuigepprevalenceurgencypossibleinterventiongravityexemplaritypreventionsystem
AT lynnabdo medicaleducationprogramrestructuringaccordingtothepuigepprevalenceurgencypossibleinterventiongravityexemplaritypreventionsystem
AT cesaryaghi medicaleducationprogramrestructuringaccordingtothepuigepprevalenceurgencypossibleinterventiongravityexemplaritypreventionsystem
AT elienemr medicaleducationprogramrestructuringaccordingtothepuigepprevalenceurgencypossibleinterventiongravityexemplaritypreventionsystem
AT gabykreichati medicaleducationprogramrestructuringaccordingtothepuigepprevalenceurgencypossibleinterventiongravityexemplaritypreventionsystem