Teaching medical students to assess genetic risk: evaluation of a multimedia family health history intervention in Vietnam

Abstract

Background: Family health history (FHH) is the cornerstone of genetic counseling and risk assessment, yet medical curricula often fail to adequately prepare future clinicians to utilize it effectively. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a multimedia educational intervention on medical students’ familiarity, knowledge, and attitude regarding FHH.

Methods: We conducted a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study with 116 third-year medical students at a university in Southern Vietnam from January to May 2024. Participants were non-randomly assigned to control (n=39), book-only (n=38), or book-and-video (n=39) groups. Outcomes were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. The primary analysis used doubly robust difference-in-differences (DR-DID) estimators to compute the average treatment effects on the treated (ATT), with p-values adjusted for multiple comparisons and Hedges’ g as the standardized effect size.

Results: After covariate adjustment, the book-and-video intervention produced a statistically significant improvement in FHH knowledge compared to the control group (DR-DID ATT = 1.60, adjusted p = 0.005; Hedges’ g = 0.80, 95% CI 0.34 to 1.25). The book-only intervention was not statistically significant after adjustment. No significant between-group effects were observed for familiarity or attitude.

Discussion: A short, theory-based multimedia educational package significantly improved medical students’ FHH knowledge. This supports its potential as a scalable model for strengthening FHH competence in medical curricula and enhancing the foundational genetic risk assessment skills necessary for effective collaboration with genetic counseling services.