<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
			<journal>
			<title>Future of Medical Education Journal</title>
			<title_fa></title_fa>
			<short_title>FUTURE MED EDUC J</short_title>
			<subject>Medical Sciences</subject>
			<web_url>https://fmej.mums.ac.ir/</web_url>
			<journal_hbi_system_id>0</journal_hbi_system_id>
			<journal_hbi_system_user></journal_hbi_system_user>
			<journal_id_issn>2251-8347</journal_id_issn>
			<journal_id_issn_online>2251-8355</journal_id_issn_online>
			<journal_id_pii></journal_id_pii>
			<journal_id_doi></journal_id_doi>
			<journal_id_iranmedex></journal_id_iranmedex>
			<journal_id_magiran></journal_id_magiran>
			<journal_id_sid></journal_id_sid>
			<journal_id_nlai></journal_id_nlai>
			<journal_id_science></journal_id_science>
			<language>en</language>
			<pubdate>
				<type>jalali</type>
				<year>2026</year>
				<month>3</month>
				<day>1</day>
			</pubdate>
			<pubdate>
				<type>gregorian</type>
				<year>2026</year>
				<month>3</month>
				<day>1</day>
			</pubdate>
			<volume>16</volume>
			<number>1</number>
			<publish_type>online</publish_type>
			<publish_edition>1</publish_edition>
			<article_type>fulltext</article_type>
			<articleset><article>
				<language>en</language>
				<article_id_issn></article_id_issn>
				<article_id_issn_online></article_id_issn_online>
				<article_id_pubmed></article_id_pubmed>
				<article_id_pii></article_id_pii>
				<article_id_doi></article_id_doi>
				<article_id_iranmedex></article_id_iranmedex>
				<article_id_magiran></article_id_magiran>
				<article_id_sid></article_id_sid>
				<title_fa></title_fa>
				<title>Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Students' Academic Performance in Basic Sciences Period: A Comparative Study at Zahedan University of Medical Sciences</title>
				<subject_fa></subject_fa>
				<subject></subject>
				<content_type_fa></content_type_fa>
				<content_type>Original Article</content_type>
				<abstract_fa><![CDATA[]]></abstract_fa>
				<abstract><![CDATA[Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional medical education, forcing a rapid shift from on-site to online learning and assessment. This study compared the academic performance of medical students in basic sciences period before and during the COVID-19 pandemic at Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, focusing on routine final tests and national basic sciences exam scores.Method: This cross-sectional study analyzed the academic performance of 320 medical students across two time periods: pre-pandemic (2018–2019) and during the pandemic (2020–2021). Data were collected from routine final test scores and national basic sciences exam scores. Statistical comparisons were made using the Chi-square test and independent t-test, as appropriate, at 0.5 level of significance.Results: No significant difference was observed in routine final test scores before (15.01 ± 1.68) and during (15.09 ± 1.53) the pandemic (P=0.7). However, national basic sciences exam scores significantly declined from 104.78 ± 17.38 (pre-pandemic) to 94.21 ± 19.31 (during the pandemic) (P=0.038), suggesting that high-stakes assessments, which are administered with more precision and under strict conditions, were more adversely affected by pandemic-related disruptions.Conclusion: The significant decline in national basic sciences exam scores during the pandemic highlights the challenges posed by COVID-19 to medical education, particularly in high-reliability assessments. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to address the long-term impacts of the pandemic on medical students&#039; academic performance and preparedness for future challenges.]]></abstract>
				<keyword_fa></keyword_fa>
				<keyword>Medical education, Academic performance, COVID-19 pandemic, Basic Sciences, Online learning</keyword>
				<start_page>46</start_page>
				<end_page>51</end_page>
				<web_url>https://fmej.mums.ac.ir/article_27531.html</web_url>
			<author_list><author>
				<first_name>Hossain</first_name>
				<middle_name></middle_name>
				<last_name>Bagheri</last_name>
				<suffix></suffix>
				<first_name_fa></first_name_fa>
				<middle_name_fa></middle_name_fa>
				<last_name_fa></last_name_fa>
				<suffix_fa></suffix_fa>
				<email>lang_academy@yahoo.com</email>
				<code>120899</code>
				<coreauthor>No</coreauthor>
				<affiliation>English Department, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran</affiliation>
				<affiliation_fa></affiliation_fa>
				 </author><author>
				<first_name>Narjes</first_name>
				<middle_name></middle_name>
				<last_name>Sargolzaei</last_name>
				<suffix></suffix>
				<first_name_fa></first_name_fa>
				<middle_name_fa></middle_name_fa>
				<last_name_fa></last_name_fa>
				<suffix_fa></suffix_fa>
				<email>sargolzaeinarges@gmail.com</email>
				<code>120898</code>
				<coreauthor>Yes</coreauthor>
				<affiliation>Community Medicine Department, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran</affiliation>
				<affiliation_fa></affiliation_fa>
				 </author><author>
				<first_name>Saeedeh</first_name>
				<middle_name></middle_name>
				<last_name>Sarhadi</last_name>
				<suffix></suffix>
				<first_name_fa></first_name_fa>
				<middle_name_fa></middle_name_fa>
				<last_name_fa></last_name_fa>
				<suffix_fa></suffix_fa>
				<email>dr.sarhadi93@gmail.com</email>
				<code>120900</code>
				<coreauthor>No</coreauthor>
				<affiliation>Health Promotion Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran</affiliation>
				<affiliation_fa></affiliation_fa>
				 </author><author>
				<first_name>Fatemeh</first_name>
				<middle_name></middle_name>
				<last_name>Safinataj</last_name>
				<suffix></suffix>
				<first_name_fa></first_name_fa>
				<middle_name_fa></middle_name_fa>
				<last_name_fa></last_name_fa>
				<suffix_fa></suffix_fa>
				<email></email>
				<code>120901</code>
				<coreauthor>No</coreauthor>
				<affiliation>Medical Student, School of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran</affiliation>
				<affiliation_fa></affiliation_fa>
				 </author></author_list>
				</article>
			</articleset>
			</journal>