Horizon of Medical Education Development

Vertical Integration in Medical Physiology: A Content Analysis Study

https://doi.org/10.22038/hmed.2025.84022.1439
Volume 17, Issue 1
Winter 2026
Pages 94-102
Horizon of Medical Education Development

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Motahare Erami 1
Nepton Soltani 2
Maryam Avizhgan 1

1 Medical Education Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Science, Isfahan, Iran.

2 Department of Physiology Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Science, Isfahan, Iran.

Abstract
Introduction: The importance of integrating basic science with clinical courses is to increase learning, improve the attitude and retention of the material by students. This study aimed to analyze the content of physiology courses in terms of vertical integration.
Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the multimedia content of physiology courses of the 5th semester of general medical sciences of Isfahan Medical University in the academic semester of 2021-2022 was investigated using the method of content analysis in terms of vertical integration. The study tool was a checklist designed by researcher containing 11 components according to the research goals. The data was entered into Excel separately for each component and reported with frequency and percentage.
Results: In total, 12.5% of the teaching time and 12.8% of the total slides were dedicated to the components of vertical integration, and the maximum attention was paid to the "case or clinical memory" component (10.7% of the total teaching time and 85.5% of the time was dedicated to vertical integration). Some components such as "real or clinical simulated environment", "clinical video or clip", "clinical question as homework" and "invitation of clinical professor" in any of the considered sessions weren’t placed (0%). The other components were in a spectrum between these two.
Conclusion: Some degree of vertical integration is being implemented in the course of physiology, although it requires more attention from administrators, planners, increased professors' efforts and students' motivation. In order to improve the implementation of this method and achieve the ultimate goals of integration, it is necessary to try to improve the facilities, cooperation and mutual communication of basic and clinical science groups and to empower academic staff members to design, implement and evaluate the integrated curriculum.

Acknowledgments:This study is the result of a medical student’s thesis titled ‘Content Analysis of Physiology Courses in Terms of Vertical Integration in the Basic Sciences Phase of General Medicine at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences,’ registered under scientific code 3400999 and ethics code IR.MUI.RESEARCH.REC.1400.061, conducted at the Medical Education Research Center of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. We sincerely thank the faculty members who granted us permission to review their course contents.

Availability of data and materials: The datasets analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of the results of this article.

Consent for publication: Not applicable

Ethical approval and consent to participate: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Isfahan School of Medical Sciences under code IR.ARI.MUI.REC.1401.012 Written informed consent was obtained from the participants to take part in the study. The participants were informed that their participation in the study was voluntary. The participants’ data were analyzed and reported anonymously and confidentially. The study was conducted in .accordance with the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki

Funding: This study was conducted with financial support from the Research Vice-Chancellery of Isfahan School of Medical Sciences, code 3400999.

Authors’ Contributions: M. Arami implemented the project, collected the data, and performed the statistical analysis. M. Avizhgan contributed to the conceptualization and, along with M. Arami, drafted and revised the manuscript. Both authors approved the final version for submission.

Open Access Policy:This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. To view a copy of this licence, visit.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

Keywords

Medical Education
Vertical Integration
Content Analysis
Physiology
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