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Table 2 Summary of study results including the outcome of each study in relation to the aims of this review

From: Does a PBL-based medical curriculum predispose training in specific career paths? A systematic review of the literature

Reference (year)

Outcome measures

Results summarised

Does PBL make a student more likely to specialise in a particular career?

P value

Ford et al. [4]

Pathology residency program

No significant difference between PBL/non-PBL groups for choosing a career in pathology

No

Kaufman et al. [14]

Future specialty choice

PBL students who were interested in family medicine at medical school retained this interest at graduation more than Non-PBL students (42 vs 29%). By graduation 39% of PBL students switched career preference to primary care vs 14% of non-PBL students. Retention of interest in other specialties showed no significant difference between programs

Yes

Maintained family practice as choice: 0.05 switched to family practice: 0.05

Matsui et al. [9]

Specialty choice

23.7% of physicians who underwent a PBL curriculum (PBL +) were working in primary care or community care vs 31.4% of non-PBL (PBL −) physicians. 61.6% of PBL + physicians were working in ‘specialist fields’ vs 61.4% of PBL − physicians. 14.7% of PBL + physicians were working in ‘other disciplines’a vs 7.1% of PBL − physicians

No

Mennin et al. [17]

Family practice specialty

79% of physicians from a PBL curriculum were working in primary care or a mixture of primary care/non-primary care vs 67% from a non-PBL curriculum

No

0.43

Moore et al. [15]

Specialty choice

58% of physicians from PBL curriculum worked in primary care vs 45% of Non-PBL physicians although this is not a significant difference

No

>0.05

Moore-west et al. [16]

Residency choice

Significantly increased numbers of graduates from PBL curriculum chose a primary care residency

Yes

0.025

Pearson et al. [18]

Specialty choice

57.1% of physicians from a PBL curriculum were working in primary care or psychiatry vs 44.7% of non-PBL physicians

Yes

0.0001

Peters et al. [10]

Specialty choice

40% of physicians from a PBL curriculum were working in primary care or psychiatry vs 18% of non-PBL physicians

Yes

<0.05

Tolnai et al. [20]

Family practice specialty

45.5% of physicians from a PBL curriculum were working in primary care vs 56.4% of physicians from a non-PBL curriculum

No

0.05

Wesnes et al. [11]

General practice specialty

Curriculum type (PBL vs Non-PBL) was not significantly associated with a primary care career choice

No

>0.05

Woodward et al. [19]

Specialty choice

Primary care career choice similar in PBL vs non-PBL curriculum. Graduates from PBL curriculum went on to hold a greater number certificates in family medicine

No

  1. aPBL schools were defined as such following interviews with representatives from each of Canada’s 13 english-language medical schools