Medical EducationApS-MED-IZTNCT07528521
Effect of a Community Service-Learning Intervention on Medical Empathy and Clinical Self-Efficacy in Medical Students
A study testing Community Service-Learning Anthropometric Assessment in people with Medical Education, run by Luis Angel Flores Sagrero at 1 site in Mexico.
Trial summary
Medical empathy and clinical self-efficacy are key professional competencies that are difficult to develop through traditional classroom-based training alone. At the Faculty of Medicine of FES Iztacala (UNAM), the curriculum includes a community practice component in the Practica Clinica I module that is rarely… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Medical Education
- What is being tested?
- Community Service-Learning Anthropometric Assessment
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 35 participants
- Where
- 1 siteMexico
- Study dates
- 8 Apr 2026to 27 May 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Enrolled in the fourth semester of the Medico Cirujano (MD) program at FES Iztacala, UNAM
- Registered in the Practica Clinica I module during the study period
- Signed informed consent prior to any data collection
- Present at both pre-intervention and post-intervention measurement sessions
Who cannot join
- Previous enrollment in the Practica Clinica I module
- Prior documented clinical experience outside the university setting (internships, clinical rotations in other programs)
- Absence from the community intervention session for any reason
- Failure to complete at least one of the three measurement instruments at either time point
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Mexico1 site
Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, UNAM
Tlalnepantla, Mexico City, 54090
About this study
Official title: Effect of a Community Service-Learning Intervention on Medical Empathy and Perceived Clinical Self-Efficacy in Fourth-Semester Medical Students at FES Iztacala, UNAM: A Quasi-Experimental Pre-Post Study
Medical empathy and clinical self-efficacy are key professional competencies that are difficult to develop through traditional classroom-based training alone. At the Faculty of Medicine of FES Iztacala (UNAM), the curriculum includes a community practice component in the Practica Clinica I module that is rarely implemented in practice, creating a gap between the formal and real curriculum.
This quasi-experimental pre-post study evaluates the effect of a structured Service-Learning (SL) intervention - a community anthropometry and somatometry assessment session conducted at a primary school - on medical empathy, perceived clinical self-efficacy, and clinical report performance in 35 fourth-semester medical students.
Read more
Medical empathy will be measured using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, Student version (JSE-S), validated in Spanish for Latin American populations. Clinical self-efficacy will be measured using the Medical Self-Efficacy Scale (EAM), a 5-item Likert instrument developed by the principal investigator (Cronbach's alpha=0.818, McDonald's omega=0.862). Clinical performance will be assessed using a standardized 33-point rubric evaluated blindly by two independent faculty members, with inter-rater reliability calculated using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC).
Children participating in the community session will receive a personalized health report with their anthropometric results and, if clinically relevant findings are detected, will be referred to the University Health Clinic (CUSI) at FES Iztacala at no cost.
Read the detailed description
BACKGROUND:
The Practica Clinica I module at FES Iztacala, UNAM, formally establishes three learning spaces: classroom, clinical, and community. However, systematic observation during the principal investigator's medical internship revealed that the community space is rarely operationalized, resulting in a significant gap between the formal and real curriculum. Students complete the module without real clinical contact with external patients, which limits the development of empathy and clinical self-efficacy.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK:
The intervention is grounded in Service-Learning pedagogy, Kolb's experiential learning cycle, Bandura's self-efficacy theory, and the medical empathy model by Hojat. The community activity at a primary school fulfills all constitutive elements of SL: a real community need (nutritional screening), structured learning objectives aligned with the curriculum, and mutual benefit for both students and the community.
INTERVENTION:
Participating medical students will conduct a full anthropometric and somatometric assessment of school-age children, including: weight, height, BMI calculation and interpretation using WHO/CDC reference tables, body circumferences (waist, hip, arm), body segments (armspan and others), and waist-hip ratio. Students will complete a simplified clinical history form and produce a written clinical report including findings interpretation and health recommendations. Each child's family will receive a sealed envelope with their personalized results. Children with clinically significant findings will be referred to CUSI (FES Iztacala).
MEASUREMENTS:
- Medical empathy: JSE-S (20 items, 7-point Likert, range 20-140), applied pre and post intervention. Used with permission from Thomas Jefferson University.
- Clinical self-efficacy: EAM (5 items, 5-point Likert, range 5-25), applied pre and post intervention.
- Clinical report performance: standardized rubric (7 dimensions, 33 points), applied blindly by two independent faculty members to both the pre-intervention report (classroom peer practice) and post-intervention report (community real patient). ICC will be calculated before proceeding with comparisons.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS:
Shapiro-Wilk normality test on pre-post differences. Paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test depending on normality. Cohen's d for effect size. Bonferroni correction for three simultaneous primary hypotheses (adjusted alpha=0.017). Pearson or Spearman correlation for the secondary hypothesis. Software: JASP and G*Power.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS:
The study poses minimal risk. Informed consent will be obtained from all medical students. Parental informed consent and children's assent will be obtained for all school-age participants. The study will be submitted for ethical review to the Ethics Committee of FES Iztacala (CEI-FES Iztacala) prior to data collection. The JSE-S is used with written permission from Thomas Jefferson University (April 2025).
- Conditions
- Medical Education
- Being tested
- Community Service-Learning Anthropometric Assessment
- Keywords
- medical empathy, clinical self-efficacy, service-learning, medical education, pediatric health screening, Jefferson Scale of Empathy, quasi-experimental, undergraduate medical education
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Community Service-Learning Anthropometric AssessmentBehavioural
A single-session community Service-Learning activity conducted at Escuela Primaria Jesus Garcia (C.T. 15DPR1779L). Medical students perform weight, height, BMI, body circumferences (waist, hip, arm), body segments, and waist-hip ratio measurements on consenting school children. Students complete a simplified clinical history form and produce a written clinical report including anthropometric data, interpretation using WHO/CDC reference tables, relevant findings, and health recommendations. Each participating child's family receives a sealed personalized results envelope. Students with clinically significant findings are referred to CUSI (FES Iztacala). Duration: one full day. Supervised by faculty members from FES Iztacala.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Service-Learning Community Intervention | Experimental | Fourth-semester medical students participate in a structured Service-Learning activity at a primary school, conducting anthropometric and somatometric assessments of school-age children. Measurements include weight, height, BMI, body circumferences, and body segments. Students complete a simplified clinical history and produce a written clinical report with findings interpretation and health recommendations. Receives: Behavioral: Community Service-Learning Anthropometric Assessment |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Medical Empathy Score (JSE-S)
Change from baseline in total score on the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, Student Version (JSE-S). Scale range: 20 to 140. Higher scores indicate greater medical empathy. Used with permission from Thomas Jefferson University.
Measured: Baseline and 5 weeks
Change in Perceived Clinical Self-Efficacy Score (EAM)
Change from baseline in total score on the Medical Self-Efficacy Scale (EAM), a 5-item Likert instrument developed by the principal investigator. Scale range: 5 to 25. Higher scores indicate greater perceived clinical self-efficacy. Cronbach's alpha=0.849, McDonald's omega=0.871.
Measured: Baseline and 5 weeks
Change in Clinical Report Performance Score (Standardized Rubric)
Change in total score on a 7-dimension, 33-point standardized rubric evaluating the clinical anthropometry report. Dimensions: basic anthropometric measurements, body circumferences, body segments, use of reference values, clinical interpretation, recommendations, and report structure. Evaluated blindly by two independent faculty members. Inter-rater reliability assessed with ICC (two-way absolute agreement model).
NOTE: Data for this outcome measure were not collected. The clinical report rubric evaluation was planned but could not be completed due to operational time constraints during the study period. Results for this outcome are not available.
Measured: Baseline and 5 weeks
Secondary outcomes (1)
Correlation Between Change in Medical Empathy and Change in Clinical Self-Efficacy (Pearson r)
Pearson correlation coefficient between the change score (post minus pre) in JSE-S and the change score (post minus pre) in EAM, in participants with complete data on both instruments.
Measured: 5 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted14 Apr 2026
- Study start8 Apr 2026
- Primary completion13 May 2026
- Study completion27 May 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Medical EducationStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 35 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Luis Angel Flores Sagrero
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Luis Angel Flores Sagrero, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07528521
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- FES-IZT-PC1-2025-001
- Acronym
- ApS-MED-IZT
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 3 Apr 2026
- Last updated
- 17 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Individual participant data will not be shared publicly to protect participant confidentiality, in compliance with the ethical approval conditions of the CEI-FES Iztacala and the informed consent agreements. Aggregated results will be reported in publications and/or the thesis document.
Publications
Abreu-Hernández LF, León-Bórquez R. Una agenda para el cambio de la educación médica en México. Horizonte 2030. Investigación Educ Med. 2022;11(42):2-10.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effect of a Community Service-Learning Intervention on Medical Empathy and Perceived Clinical Self-Efficacy in Fourth-Semester Medical Students at FES Iztacala, UNAM: A Quasi-Experimental Pre-Post Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07528521
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- ApS-MED-IZT / FES-IZT-PC1-2025-001
- Conditions
- Medical Education
- Keywords
- medical empathy, clinical self-efficacy, service-learning, medical education, pediatric health screening, Jefferson Scale of Empathy, quasi-experimental, undergraduate medical education
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 35 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Luis Angel Flores SagreroUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
- Study start
- 8 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 13 May 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 27 May 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 14 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 17 Aug 2026
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Medical empathy and clinical self-efficacy are key professional competencies that are difficult to develop through traditional classroom-based training alone. At the Faculty of Medicine of FES Iztacala (UNAM), the curriculum includes a community practice component in the Practica Clinica I module that is rarely implemented in practice, creating a gap between the formal and real curriculum.
This quasi-experimental pre-post study evaluates the effect of a structured Service-Learning (SL) intervention - a community anthropometry and somatometry assessment session conducted at a primary school - on medical empathy, perceived clinical self-efficacy, and clinical report performance in 35 fourth-semester medical students.
Medical empathy will be measured using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, Student version (JSE-S), validated in Spanish for Latin American populations. Clinical self-efficacy will be measured using the Medical Self-Efficacy Scale (EAM), a 5-item Likert instrument developed by the principal investigator (Cronbach's alpha=0.818, McDonald's omega=0.862). Clinical performance will be assessed using a standardized 33-point rubric evaluated blindly by two independent faculty members, with inter-rater reliability calculated using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC).
Children participating in the community session will receive a personalized health report with their anthropometric results and, if clinically relevant findings are detected, will be referred to the University Health Clinic (CUSI) at FES Iztacala at no cost.
Detailed description
BACKGROUND:
The Practica Clinica I module at FES Iztacala, UNAM, formally establishes three learning spaces: classroom, clinical, and community. However, systematic observation during the principal investigator's medical internship revealed that the community space is rarely operationalized, resulting in a significant gap between the formal and real curriculum. Students complete the module without real clinical contact with external patients, which limits the development of empathy and clinical self-efficacy.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK:
The intervention is grounded in Service-Learning pedagogy, Kolb's experiential learning cycle, Bandura's self-efficacy theory, and the medical empathy model by Hojat. The community activity at a primary school fulfills all constitutive elements of SL: a real community need (nutritional screening), structured learning objectives aligned with the curriculum, and mutual benefit for both students and the community.
INTERVENTION:
Participating medical students will conduct a full anthropometric and somatometric assessment of school-age children, including: weight, height, BMI calculation and interpretation using WHO/CDC reference tables, body circumferences (waist, hip, arm), body segments (armspan and others), and waist-hip ratio. Students will complete a simplified clinical history form and produce a written clinical report including findings interpretation and health recommendations. Each child's family will receive a sealed envelope with their personalized results. Children with clinically significant findings will be referred to CUSI (FES Iztacala).
MEASUREMENTS:
- Medical empathy: JSE-S (20 items, 7-point Likert, range 20-140), applied pre and post intervention. Used with permission from Thomas Jefferson University.
- Clinical self-efficacy: EAM (5 items, 5-point Likert, range 5-25), applied pre and post intervention.
- Clinical report performance: standardized rubric (7 dimensions, 33 points), applied blindly by two independent faculty members to both the pre-intervention report (classroom peer practice) and post-intervention report (community real patient). ICC will be calculated before proceeding with comparisons.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS:
Shapiro-Wilk normality test on pre-post differences. Paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test depending on normality. Cohen's d for effect size. Bonferroni correction for three simultaneous primary hypotheses (adjusted alpha=0.017). Pearson or Spearman correlation for the secondary hypothesis. Software: JASP and G*Power.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS:
The study poses minimal risk. Informed consent will be obtained from all medical students. Parental informed consent and children's assent will be obtained for all school-age participants. The study will be submitted for ethical review to the Ethics Committee of FES Iztacala (CEI-FES Iztacala) prior to data collection. The JSE-S is used with written permission from Thomas Jefferson University (April 2025).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Service-Learning Community Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Community Service-Learning Anthropometric AssessmentFourth-semester medical students participate in a structured Service-Learning activity at a primary school, conducting anthropometric and somatometric assessments of school-age children. Measurements include weight, height, BMI, body circumferences, and body segments. Students complete a simplified clinical history and produce a written clinical report with findings interpretation and health recommendations. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Enrolled in the fourth semester of the Medico Cirujano (MD) program at FES Iztacala, UNAM
- Registered in the Practica Clinica I module during the study period
- Signed informed consent prior to any data collection
- Present at both pre-intervention and post-intervention measurement sessions
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Previous enrollment in the Practica Clinica I module
- Prior documented clinical experience outside the university setting (internships, clinical rotations in other programs)
- Absence from the community intervention session for any reason
- Failure to complete at least one of the three measurement instruments at either time point
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Community Service-Learning Anthropometric AssessmentA single-session community Service-Learning activity conducted at Escuela Primaria Jesus Garcia (C.T. 15DPR1779L). Medical students perform weight, height, BMI, body circumferences (waist, hip, arm), body segments, and waist-hip ratio measurements on consenting school children. Students complete a simplified clinical history form and produce a written clinical report including anthropometric data, interpretation using WHO/CDC reference tables, relevant findings, and health recommendations. Each participating child's family receives a sealed personalized results envelope. Students with clinically significant findings are referred to CUSI (FES Iztacala). Duration: one full day. Supervised by faculty members from FES Iztacala. | Behavioural | Service-Learning Community Intervention |
Primary outcome
Change in Medical Empathy Score (JSE-S)
Time frame: Baseline and 5 weeks
Change from baseline in total score on the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, Student Version (JSE-S). Scale range: 20 to 140. Higher scores indicate greater medical empathy. Used with permission from Thomas Jefferson University.
Change in Perceived Clinical Self-Efficacy Score (EAM)
Time frame: Baseline and 5 weeks
Change from baseline in total score on the Medical Self-Efficacy Scale (EAM), a 5-item Likert instrument developed by the principal investigator. Scale range: 5 to 25. Higher scores indicate greater perceived clinical self-efficacy. Cronbach's alpha=0.849, McDonald's omega=0.871.
Change in Clinical Report Performance Score (Standardized Rubric)
Time frame: Baseline and 5 weeks
Change in total score on a 7-dimension, 33-point standardized rubric evaluating the clinical anthropometry report. Dimensions: basic anthropometric measurements, body circumferences, body segments, use of reference values, clinical interpretation, recommendations, and report structure. Evaluated blindly by two independent faculty members. Inter-rater reliability assessed with ICC (two-way absolute agreement model). NOTE: Data for this outcome measure were not collected. The clinical report rubric evaluation was planned but could not be completed due to operational time constraints during the study period. Results for this outcome are not available.
1 secondary outcome
Correlation Between Change in Medical Empathy and Change in Clinical Self-Efficacy (Pearson r)
Time frame: 5 weeks
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Aug 2026.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- BackgroundAbreu-Hernández LF, León-Bórquez R. Una agenda para el cambio de la educación médica en México. Horizonte 2030. Investigación Educ Med. 2022;11(42):2-10.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Individual participant data will not be shared publicly to protect participant confidentiality, in compliance with the ethical approval conditions of the CEI-FES Iztacala and the informed consent agreements. Aggregated results will be reported in publications and/or the thesis document.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Community Service-Learning Anthropometric Assessment in people with Medical Education, run by Luis Angel Flores Sagrero at 1 site in Mexico.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Aug 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Mexico. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 17 Aug 2026). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Medical Empathy Score (JSE-S) (time frame: Baseline and 5 weeks). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07528521, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Aug 2026.