BACKGROUND: The feedback medical students receive during clinical rotations, traditionally verbal and not formally captured, plays a critical role in student development. This study evaluates written daily feedback given to students through a novel web-based feedback system. METHODS: A Minute Feedback System was used to collect feedback given to medical students during their surgery clerkship from May 2015-April 2016. Using qualitative content analysis, feedback comments were categorized as: encouraging, corrective, specific, and nonspecific. Effective feedback was a combination of specific and either corrective or encouraging feedback; ineffective feedback contained only nonspecific comments; mediocre feedback contained elements of both effective and ineffective comments. RESULTS: 3191 feedback requests were sent by medical students and 2029 faculty/resident feedback responses were received. The overall response rate was 62%. Nonspecific feedback comprised 80% of faculty, 83% of senior resident, and 78% of junior resident comments. Specific feedback was given by only 35% of faculty, 17% of senior residents, and 26% of junior residents. Faculty provided Effective feedback in only 16% of comments, senior residents 8%, and junior residents 17%. Mediocre feedback comprised 13% of faculty, 9% of senior resident, and 7% of junior resident comments. Ineffective feedback comprised 67% of all feedback: 60% of faculty, 72% of senior resident, and 68% of junior resident feedback. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of resident and faculty feedback to medical students using an electronic, email-based application during their surgery clerkship was nonspecific and encouraging and therefore of limited effectiveness. This presents an opportunity for resident/faculty development and education regarding optimal feedback techniques.
BACKGROUND: The feedback medical students receive during clinical rotations, traditionally verbal and not formally captured, plays a critical role in student development. This study evaluates written daily feedback given to students through a novel web-based feedback system. METHODS: A Minute Feedback System was used to collect feedback given to medical students during their surgery clerkship from May 2015-April 2016. Using qualitative content analysis, feedback comments were categorized as: encouraging, corrective, specific, and nonspecific. Effective feedback was a combination of specific and either corrective or encouraging feedback; ineffective feedback contained only nonspecific comments; mediocre feedback contained elements of both effective and ineffective comments. RESULTS: 3191 feedback requests were sent by medical students and 2029 faculty/resident feedback responses were received. The overall response rate was 62%. Nonspecific feedback comprised 80% of faculty, 83% of senior resident, and 78% of junior resident comments. Specific feedback was given by only 35% of faculty, 17% of senior residents, and 26% of junior residents. Faculty provided Effective feedback in only 16% of comments, senior residents 8%, and junior residents 17%. Mediocre feedback comprised 13% of faculty, 9% of senior resident, and 7% of junior resident comments. Ineffective feedback comprised 67% of all feedback: 60% of faculty, 72% of senior resident, and 68% of junior resident feedback. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of resident and faculty feedback to medical students using an electronic, email-based application during their surgery clerkship was nonspecific and encouraging and therefore of limited effectiveness. This presents an opportunity for resident/faculty development and education regarding optimal feedback techniques.
Authors: Amy B Zelenski; Jessica S Tischendorf; Michael Kessler; Scott Saunders; Melissa M MacDonald; Bennett Vogelman; Laura Zakowski Journal: J Grad Med Educ Date: 2019-08
Authors: R van der Gulden; S Heeneman; A W M Kramer; R F J M Laan; N D Scherpbier-de Haan; B P A Thoonen Journal: BMC Med Educ Date: 2020-06-26 Impact factor: 2.463