The effect of a short integrated study skills programme for first-year medical students at risk of failure: A randomised controlled trial

Background: There is a need for outcome-based studies on strategies for supporting at-risk medical students that use long-term follow-up and contemporaneous controls. Aim: To measure the effect of a short integrated study skills programme (SSP) on the study progress of at-risk medical students. Methods: First-year students identified as at-risk of academic failure at 7 months after enrolment were invited to participate in the randomised controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to the SSP group or to a control group receiving standard academic support. Effects of SSP were measured on the short (passed first exam after intervention), medium (obtained enough credits to proceed to second year) and long term (completed first-year curriculum within 2 years). Results: SSP participants (n = 43) more often passed the first exam after the intervention than controls (n = 41; 30% versus 12%; X-2 (1) = 4.06, p < 0.005, effect size = 0.22), in particular those who had previously passed at least one exam. No medium or long-term effect was found. Participants who had attended four or five SSP sessions outperformed those who had attended fewer sessions on all outcome measures. Conclusion: A short, integrated SSP benefited some, but not all students. Our advice is to focus support efforts on at-risk students who have demonstrated commitment and academic potential.