Factors affecting the quality of problem-based learning in a hybrid medical curriculum.

For medical schools that wish to implement or are involved in problem-based learning (PBL) as part of their medical curriculum, there are many factors which can affect its quality. This paper discusses four critical issues--the need for sufficient protected time for PBL; the structure of the PBL case and its alignment with learning outside the tutorial room; the role of tutors and assessment in PBL--which can affect tutor and students' performance.