Colin M Sox1, Rebecca Tenney-Soeiro2, Linda O Lewin3, Jeanine Ronan2, Mary Brown4, Marta King5, Rachel Thompson6, Michelle Noelck7, Jamie S Sutherell5, Michael Silverstein6, Howard J Cabral8, Michael Dell9. 1. Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center & Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass. Electronic address: colin.sox@bmc.org. 2. Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania & The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. 3. Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md. 4. Department of Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine at the Floating Hospital for Children, Boston, Mass. 5. Department of Pediatrics, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo. 6. Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center & Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass. 7. Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Ore. 8. Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Mass. 9. Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Effective self-directed educational tools are invaluable. Our objective was to determine whether a self-directed, web-based oral case presentation module would improve medical students' oral case presentations compared to usual curriculum, and with similar efficacy as structured oral presentation faculty feedback sessions. METHODS: We conducted a pragmatic multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial among medical students rotating in pediatric clerkships at 7 US medical schools. In the clerkship's first 14 days, subjects were instructed to complete an online Computer-Assisted Learning in Pediatrics Program (CLIPP) oral case presentation module, an in-person faculty-led case presentation feedback session, or neither (control). At the clerkship's end, evaluators blinded to intervention status rated the quality of students' oral case presentations on a 10-point scale. We conducted intention-to-treat multivariable analyses clustered on clerkship block. RESULTS:Study participants included 256 CLIPP (32.5%), 263 feedback (33.3%), and 270 control (34.2%) subjects. Only 51.1% of CLIPP subjects completed the assigned presentation module, while 98.5% of feedback subjects participated in presentation feedback sessions. Compared to controls, oral presentation quality was significantly higher in the feedback group (adjusted difference in mean quality, 0.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.08, 0.49) and trended toward being significantly higher in the CLIPP group (0.19; 95% confidence interval, -0.006, 0.38). The quality of presentations in the CLIPP and feedback groups was not significantly different (-0.10; 95% confidence interval, -0.31, 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: The quality of oral case presentations delivered by students randomized to complete the CLIPP module did not differ from faculty-led presentation feedback sessions and was not statistically superior to control.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: Effective self-directed educational tools are invaluable. Our objective was to determine whether a self-directed, web-based oral case presentation module would improve medical students' oral case presentations compared to usual curriculum, and with similar efficacy as structured oral presentation faculty feedback sessions. METHODS: We conducted a pragmatic multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial among medical students rotating in pediatric clerkships at 7 US medical schools. In the clerkship's first 14 days, subjects were instructed to complete an online Computer-Assisted Learning in Pediatrics Program (CLIPP) oral case presentation module, an in-person faculty-led case presentation feedback session, or neither (control). At the clerkship's end, evaluators blinded to intervention status rated the quality of students' oral case presentations on a 10-point scale. We conducted intention-to-treat multivariable analyses clustered on clerkship block. RESULTS: Study participants included 256 CLIPP (32.5%), 263 feedback (33.3%), and 270 control (34.2%) subjects. Only 51.1% of CLIPP subjects completed the assigned presentation module, while 98.5% of feedback subjects participated in presentation feedback sessions. Compared to controls, oral presentation quality was significantly higher in the feedback group (adjusted difference in mean quality, 0.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.08, 0.49) and trended toward being significantly higher in the CLIPP group (0.19; 95% confidence interval, -0.006, 0.38). The quality of presentations in the CLIPP and feedback groups was not significantly different (-0.10; 95% confidence interval, -0.31, 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: The quality of oral case presentations delivered by students randomized to complete the CLIPP module did not differ from faculty-led presentation feedback sessions and was not statistically superior to control.