Effect of a Community Service-Learning Intervention on Medical Empathy and Clinical Self-Efficacy in Medical Students

NCT07528521 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: FES-IZT-PC1-2025-001
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 35
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Medical empathy and clinical self-efficacy are key professional competencies that are difficult to develop through traditional classroom-based training alone. At the Faculty of Medicine of FES Iztacala (UNAM), the curriculum includes a community practice component in the Practica Clinica I module that is rarely implemented in practice, creating a gap between the formal and real curriculum. This quasi-experimental pre-post study evaluates the effect of a structured Service-Learning (SL) intervention - a community anthropometry and somatometry assessment session conducted at a primary school - on medical empathy, perceived clinical self-efficacy, and clinical report performance in 35 fourth-semester medical students. Medical empathy will be measured using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, Student version (JSE-S), validated in Spanish for Latin American populations. Clinical self-efficacy will be measured using the Medical Self-Efficacy Scale (EAM), a 5-item Likert instrument developed by the principal investigator (Cronbach's alpha=0.818, McDonald's omega=0.862). Clinical performance will be assessed using a standardized 33-point rubric evaluated blindly by two independent faculty members, with inter-rater reliability calculated using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Children participating in the community session will receive a personalized health report with their anthropometric results and, if clinically relevant findings are detected, will be referred to the University Health Clinic (CUSI) at FES Iztacala at no cost.

Conditions

Medical Education

Keywords

medical empathy; clinical self-efficacy; service-learning; medical education; pediatric health screening; Jefferson Scale of Empathy; quasi-experimental; undergraduate medical education

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Change in Medical Empathy Score (JSE-S)

  Change from baseline in total score on the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, Student version (JSE-S). Scale range: 20-140. Higher scores indicate greater empathy. Used with permission from Thomas Jefferson University.

  Baseline and 5 weeks

• Change in Perceived Clinical Self-Efficacy Score (EAM)

  Change from baseline in total score on the Medical Self-Efficacy Scale (EAM), a 5-item Likert instrument (range 5-25) developed by the principal investigator. Cronbach's alpha=0.818, McDonald's omega=0.862.

  Baseline and 5 weeks

• Change in Clinical Report Performance Score (Standardized Rubric)

  Change in total score on a 7-dimension, 33-point standardized rubric evaluating the clinical anthropometry report. Dimensions: basic anthropometric measurements, body circumferences, body segments, use of reference values, clinical interpretation, recommendations, and report structure. Evaluated blindly by two independent faculty members. Inter-rater reliability assessed with ICC (two-way absolute agreement model).

  Baseline and 5 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Correlation Between Change in Empathy and Change in Clinical Self-Efficacy

  5 weeks

Study Arms (1)

Service-Learning Community Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Fourth-semester medical students participate in a structured Service-Learning activity at a primary school, conducting anthropometric and somatometric assessments of school-age children. Measurements include weight, height, BMI, body circumferences, and body segments. Students complete a simplified clinical history and produce a written clinical report with findings interpretation and health recommendations.

Behavioral: Community Service-Learning Anthropometric Assessment

Interventions

Community Service-Learning Anthropometric Assessment BEHAVIORAL

A single-session community Service-Learning activity conducted at Escuela Primaria Jesus Garcia (C.T. 15DPR1779L). Medical students perform weight, height, BMI, body circumferences (waist, hip, arm), body segments, and waist-hip ratio measurements on consenting school children. Students complete a simplified clinical history form and produce a written clinical report including anthropometric data, interpretation using WHO/CDC reference tables, relevant findings, and health recommendations. Each participating child's family receives a sealed personalized results envelope. Students with clinically significant findings are referred to CUSI (FES Iztacala). Duration: one full day. Supervised by faculty members from FES Iztacala.

Service-Learning Community Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Enrolled in the fourth semester of the Medico Cirujano (MD) program at FES Iztacala, UNAM
• Registered in the Practica Clinica I module during the study period
• Signed informed consent prior to any data collection
• Present at both pre-intervention and post-intervention measurement sessions

You may not qualify if:

• Previous enrollment in the Practica Clinica I module
• Prior documented clinical experience outside the university setting (internships, clinical rotations in other programs)
• Absence from the community intervention session for any reason
• Failure to complete at least one of the three measurement instruments at either time point

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico: collaborator
• Luis Angel Flores Sagrero: lead

Study Sites (1)

Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, UNAM

Tlalnepantla, Mexico City, 54090, Mexico

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Abreu-Hernández LF, León-Bórquez R. Una agenda para el cambio de la educación médica en México. Horizonte 2030. Investigación Educ Med. 2022;11(42):2-10.

  BACKGROUND

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: Although the two faculty evaluators who score the clinical reports are blinded to the time point of each report (pre vs. post intervention), ClinicalTrials.gov does not support Outcomes Assessor masking for single-arm studies. Blind evaluation of reports is described in the Detailed Description.
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Medical Intern and Principal Investigator, Carrera de Medico Cirujano

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 3, 2026
• First Posted: April 14, 2026
• Study Start: April 8, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 13, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 27, 2026
• Last Updated: April 14, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

ME (1)