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Impact of practical class attendance on performance in health professions education.

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Title:	Impact of practical class attendance on performance in health professions education.
Authors:	Haber, T.^1,2 travis.haber@unimelb.edu.au, Stander, J.¹, Virtue, D.¹, Byrne, S.³, Cheshire, L.⁴, Clements, T.⁴, Lees, J.¹, Cochrane, A.⁵, Hill, N.⁶, Maruyama, M.¹, Story, L.⁷, Tarrant, B.⁸, Kefalianos, E.⁷, Finch, S.⁹, Donald, K. J.¹
Source:	Focus on Health Professional Education (2204-7662). 2026, Vol. 27 Issue 1, p26-49. 24p.
Subject Terms:	Academic achievement, Health education, School attendance, Clinical competence, Attendance
Abstract:	Introduction: Attendance for practical classes in health professions education is commonly mandated. However, we could not identify a review investigating the evidence of practical class attendance and its associated policies. Therefore, this scoping review investigated how practical class attendance and attendance policies impact or relate to learning performance in a tertiary course for health professions. Methods and analysis: A scoping review was conducted using a comprehensive database search of Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Dissertation Abstracts, Education Full Text, ScienceDirect, ERIC, Google Scholar and Web of Science. We included studies published in English that were conducted in health professions courses and explored the impacts of practical class attendance or associated policies. For studies reporting correlation and sample size, 95% confidence intervals were reported. Results: We included 6 studies in this review. Across assessment types, practical class attendance was often positively associated with student performance. However, the size of these associations varied, and confidence intervals suggested estimates were imprecise. No studies investigated relationships between attendance policies and student learning. Conclusions: Health professions students attending more practical classes may perform better in assessments than their peers attending fewer practical classes. However, there is uncertainty relating to the size of the relationship and whether other factors (e.g., student class preparation) better explain differences in academic performance than attendance. There is no evidence to determine whether attendance policies for practical classes positively or negatively impact academic or clinical performance. Educators should weigh the current evidence, including its limitations, alongside student needs and perspectives when implementing attendance policies for practical classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
	Copyright of Focus on Health Professional Education (2204-7662) is the property of ANZAHPE: Australian & New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	Introduction: Attendance for practical classes in health professions education is commonly mandated. However, we could not identify a review investigating the evidence of practical class attendance and its associated policies. Therefore, this scoping review investigated how practical class attendance and attendance policies impact or relate to learning performance in a tertiary course for health professions. Methods and analysis: A scoping review was conducted using a comprehensive database search of Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Dissertation Abstracts, Education Full Text, ScienceDirect, ERIC, Google Scholar and Web of Science. We included studies published in English that were conducted in health professions courses and explored the impacts of practical class attendance or associated policies. For studies reporting correlation and sample size, 95% confidence intervals were reported. Results: We included 6 studies in this review. Across assessment types, practical class attendance was often positively associated with student performance. However, the size of these associations varied, and confidence intervals suggested estimates were imprecise. No studies investigated relationships between attendance policies and student learning. Conclusions: Health professions students attending more practical classes may perform better in assessments than their peers attending fewer practical classes. However, there is uncertainty relating to the size of the relationship and whether other factors (e.g., student class preparation) better explain differences in academic performance than attendance. There is no evidence to determine whether attendance policies for practical classes positively or negatively impact academic or clinical performance. Educators should weigh the current evidence, including its limitations, alongside student needs and perspectives when implementing attendance policies for practical classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	22047662