Challenges to Online Education in Medical Education during the COVID-۱۹ Pandemic

Background: The sudden outbreak of COVID-۱۹ has affected the world medical education system and has led to changes in conventional teaching methods in most universities. This study aimed to review the challenges of online education in medical education during the COVID-۱۹ pandemic. Materials and Methods: In this review, a systemic search of online databases (Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CIVILICA, and Google Scholar search engine) based on Mesh keywords in related articles was conducted for related studies from January ۲۰۲۰ to December ۲۰۲۱. The evaluation of eligible studies and selection was done by two reviews. Results: The findings of this study indicated the challenges of online education in the crisis caused by the COVID-۱۹ in three areas of student and cultural, education and research, and management, administration, and finance. During the COVID-۱۹ pandemic, these challenges can affect the physical, psychological, social, educational and behavioral status of students and professors and educational and research processes, and cause irreparable damage to the administrative, executive, and financial infrastructure of universities. Therefore, ideas and solutions to solve these problems can facilitate high-quality and sustainable education for students. Conclusion: The COVID-۱۹ pandemic could have a positive effect on some aspects of medical education. However, numerous challenges have arisen, involving issues related to the student and cultural fields, education, and research, and financial issues. In the field of medical education, the development of online medical simulators, the promotion of virtual hospitals and telemedicine (telemedicine), the provision of virtual cases, and the conduct of online examinations can help to promote virtual education.