Objective?To assess the effect of problem-based learning (PBL) to improve clinical practice skills for clinical students after graduation. Methods?Computer retrieval was conducted to search for controlled studies comparing PBL with non-PBL. The quality of the included studies was critically evaluated and data were analyzed. Results?A total of 16 articles were included. The results showed that in integrated capabilities, PBL teaching was superior to traditional teaching methods. Whether in self-evaluation or objective evaluation, in terms of legal and ethical aspects of health care, research and presentation skills and ability to solve problem, PBL teaching was superior to non-PBL-learning methods. But in other aspects, it was yet controversial whether PBL-learning was better than non-PBL-learning. Conclusion?Problem-based learning could improve clinical practice skills for clinical students after graduation. However, most trials included are of low quality, so large-scale randomized controlled trials of higher quality are needed to confirm this.
