The integrated curriculum in medical education: AMEE Guide No. 96

Abstract

The popularity of the term "integrated curriculum" has grown immensely in medical education over the last two decades, but what does this term mean and how do we go about its design, implementation, and evaluation? Definitions and application of the term vary greatly in the literature, spanning from the integration of content within a single lecture to the integration of a medical school's comprehensive curriculum. Taking into account the integrated curriculum's historic and evolving base of knowledge and theory, its support from many national medical education organizations, and the ever-increasing body of published examples, we deem it necessary to present a guide to review and promote further development of the integrated curriculum movement in medical education with an international perspective. We introduce the history and theory behind integration and provide theoretical models alongside published examples of common variations of an integrated curriculum. In addition, we identify three areas of particular need when developing an ideal integrated curriculum, leading us to propose the use of a new, clarified definition of "integrated curriculum", and offer a review of strategies to evaluate the impact of an integrated curriculum on the learner. This Guide is presented to assist educators in the design, implementation, and evaluation of a thoroughly integrated medical school curriculum.