To explore the application value of the flipped classroom teaching model based on small private online course (SPOC) in teaching of emergency symptom diagnostics.

From September to November 2020, 30 students from Bengbu Medical College′s 2017 grade clinical medicine experimental class were chosen and received the course of emergency symptom diagnostics using a flipped classroom teaching method based on SPOC, which was designated as the experimental group (n=30). At the same time, 30 students from this school′s 2016 grade clinical medicine experimental class were selected and trained using standard teaching techniques from September to November 2019, the control group (n=30) was assigned to them. The results of the two groups in the emergency symptom diagnostics course′s clinical skills and theoretical knowledge, as well as their assessments of the teaching effect were compared.

There were statistically significant differences in clinical skill scores [(83.45±3.02)points, (91.34±2.16)points] and total theoretical knowledge scores [(83.12±0.42)points, (89.53±0.93)points] between the control group and the experimental group (t=11.64, 34.41, all P<0.01). Questionnaire feedback of teaching evaluation (including study interest in the emergency symptoms diagnostics course interest, ability to solve emergency department clinical operations, improving learning efficiency and concentration, improving autonomous learning ability, and willingness to continue to accept this kind of teaching mode) were higher in the experimental group than that in the control group, with statistically significant differences (χ²=5.45, 5.96, 6.67, 4.36, 5.08, all P<0.05).

The flipped classroom teaching mode based on SPOC has achieved good teaching results in the emergency symptom diagnostics, which can be further promoted in combination with offline practice.