Análise da Produção Bibliográfica sobre Problem-Based Learning (PBL) em quatro periódicos selecionados

Abstract

The present study is an integrative review. The aim was analyze the bibliometric characteristics of empirical scientific literature on PBL in reference journals in medical education in Brazil and in the world from 2005 to 2014, and recommend directions for future research. The following data were extracted: Publication Year, Study Scenario Study Goals, Study Type, Key Findings and Directions for Future Research indicated by the authors. Regarding the articles published in three international journals, we found that had the Medical Schools scenario from all continents, where n = 6 studies were multicentric. when we analyze the data on the distribution of national studies among states, we can see that they are concentrated in the South and Southeast. As regards the objectives of the studies analyzed, we observed that there is a predominance in the pursuit of effectiveness of PBL, ie the results in terms of performance, whether in training or medical practice, students who are subjected to this method, and in terms of comparison between these results and those obtained with traditional methods. As the trend in the number of articles on PBL published in the last 10 years, we observed a significant reduction in the number of articles published in three international journals from 2005 to 2010. In the case of national periodical, our data suggest that the scientific literature on PBL in Brazil it is still incipient. As regards the research methods used in the studies published in the four selected journals, noted the predominance of quantitative methods, with a predominance of Survey (n = 26). The main conclusions of the studies follow the same line of goals. They show the positive results of both PBL in medical education and in their implications for professional practice. The guidelines for future research, we see that there is an inclination to carry out further studies to investigate the effectiveness of PBL, as well as more comparative studies. In conclusion we can say that research on PBL is still in its infancy, we still need to move forward in further studies that seek to answer more theoretical and methodological issues and epistemological method. While observing the quality of research being carried out, because the more quality have better will support decision-making. A very promising given is the PBL has aroused the interest of researchers outside world. This shows that the method, despite its rigorous steps, can adapt to different cultures and different educational contacts. However, we can not fail to mention the limitations of this study, since, to enable the research we had to reduce the search to some journals, in addition to a temporary cut of 10 years. Thus it is recommended to conduct research covering more regular and a long space. So it will be possible to draw a more complete picture of publications on PBL