Awareness and attitude of Medical and Dental professionals regarding MBBS bridge course: A qualitative study

Abstract

Purpose/Objectives: The aim of this study was to understand the perceptions influencing the awareness and attitude of medical and dental professionals regarding the ‘Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of surgery’ (MBBS) bridge course. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using a grounded theory approach. The study was carried out from April to September in the year 2020. Participants were recruited based on a non-probabilistic convenient sampling method after obtaining informed consent. Data was collected from eighteen in-depth interviews conducted among medical and dental professionals until adequate data saturation was attained. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: Based on in-depth interviews, thematic analysis was done and the concept of the MBBS bridge course was broadly divided into four categories and their subcategories. The categories include "Rationale", "Consequences", "Execution challenges" and "Constraints". Conclusion:  Our study highlights research areas relevant to further investigation, such as rationale, consequences, execution challenges, and constraints related to the MBBS bridge course. Participants from different zones of the country could emerge with varied categories that could help the decision-makers before implementing the course.