Research code: NA
Ethics code: IR.IUMS.REC 1396.8923496005
Clinical trials code: NA
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Abstract: (219 Views)
Background and Objective
Clinical education is one of the most important components of medical training(1) . Understanding strategies to enhance its quality can significantly improve the overall medical education process (2-5). Examining the quality of the educational environment impacts the efficiency of educational programs (6, 7) . The importance of assessing and evaluating the educational environment with appropriate tools is undeniable for elevating the academic level of learners(9) . This study aims to evaluate the educational environment of the main clinical departments at Firouzabadi Hospital without the presence of clinical residents, focusing on the direct learning experience from faculty members, as perceived by interns and externs, based on the modified DREEM questionnaire in five domains: students' perception of learning, students' perception of teachers, students' academic self-perception, students' perception of the atmosphere, and students' social self-perception.
Method
This observational study was conducted as a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional survey at Firouzabadi Hospital in 2017. A total of 175 learners (33 externs and 142 interns), representing all major clinical departments including internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and general surgery, participated. The tool used for quantitative assessment of the educational environment was the modified DREEM questionnaire, comprising 44 questions in five domains: Learning, Teaching, Academic self-perception, Atmosphere and Social self-perception(10, 11). The maximum score obtainable is 176 based on a Likert scale for each question. The study's data were analyzed using SPSS 20 and relevant statistical tests.
Results
A total of 175 learners, including 33 externs and 142 interns, participated in this study, with 84% being female students. The lowest number of participants was in the gynecology department (13.7%), and the highest was in the internal medicine department (32%). The average age of the externs was 23, and the average age of the interns was 25.
The maximum score obtained from the questionnaire was 147 (out of a possible 176 points), with an average score of 122.17 (69%), which is considered satisfactory.
Given that the questionnaire scores ranged from 0 to 4, the highest score was in the learning domain, “The teaching is often stimulating“(question 7), with an average of 3.2±0.73, followed by question 27, “able to memorize all I need” in the academic self-perception domain and question 36 “able to concentrate well” in the social self-perception domain, both with an average of 3.2±0.44. The lowest score was related to “the teachers ridicule the student”(question 8) in the domain of teaching domain, with an average of 0.73±0.5.
The overall average score of the externs was 124.8, higher than the interns’ average score of 121.55, but this difference was not statistically significant according to the independent t-test (P: 0.82). Female students had an overall average score of 122.03, and male students had an overall average score of 122.89, with no statistically significant difference (p=0.55). Only in the fifth domain of the questionnaire (the social self-perception domain) did male students have a higher average score (19.25) compared to female students (17.33), which was statistically significant (p=0.01).
Overall, the lowest average score was in the internal medicine department (120.8 ± 14.16), and the highest average score was in the pediatrics department (123.37 ± 13.06), with no statistically significant difference between the various hospital departments (p=0.83).
Conclusion
This study showed that direct education of externs and interns by faculty members without the presence of residents can enhance students' motivation and reduce feelings of humiliation, aiding their learning process. To better evaluate this, further studies in separate environments with and without the presence of specialized residents are recommended.
Clinical education is one of the most important components of medical training(1) . Understanding strategies to enhance its quality can significantly improve the overall medical education process (2-5). Examining the quality of the educational environment impacts the efficiency of educational programs (6, 7) . The importance of assessing and evaluating the educational environment with appropriate tools is undeniable for elevating the academic level of learners(9) . This study aims to evaluate the educational environment of the main clinical departments at Firouzabadi Hospital without the presence of clinical residents, focusing on the direct learning experience from faculty members, as perceived by interns and externs, based on the modified DREEM questionnaire in five domains: students' perception of learning, students' perception of teachers, students' academic self-perception, students' perception of the atmosphere, and students' social self-perception.
Method
This observational study was conducted as a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional survey at Firouzabadi Hospital in 2017. A total of 175 learners (33 externs and 142 interns), representing all major clinical departments including internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and general surgery, participated. The tool used for quantitative assessment of the educational environment was the modified DREEM questionnaire, comprising 44 questions in five domains: Learning, Teaching, Academic self-perception, Atmosphere and Social self-perception(10, 11). The maximum score obtainable is 176 based on a Likert scale for each question. The study's data were analyzed using SPSS 20 and relevant statistical tests.
Results
A total of 175 learners, including 33 externs and 142 interns, participated in this study, with 84% being female students. The lowest number of participants was in the gynecology department (13.7%), and the highest was in the internal medicine department (32%). The average age of the externs was 23, and the average age of the interns was 25.
The maximum score obtained from the questionnaire was 147 (out of a possible 176 points), with an average score of 122.17 (69%), which is considered satisfactory.
Given that the questionnaire scores ranged from 0 to 4, the highest score was in the learning domain, “The teaching is often stimulating“(question 7), with an average of 3.2±0.73, followed by question 27, “able to memorize all I need” in the academic self-perception domain and question 36 “able to concentrate well” in the social self-perception domain, both with an average of 3.2±0.44. The lowest score was related to “the teachers ridicule the student”(question 8) in the domain of teaching domain, with an average of 0.73±0.5.
The overall average score of the externs was 124.8, higher than the interns’ average score of 121.55, but this difference was not statistically significant according to the independent t-test (P: 0.82). Female students had an overall average score of 122.03, and male students had an overall average score of 122.89, with no statistically significant difference (p=0.55). Only in the fifth domain of the questionnaire (the social self-perception domain) did male students have a higher average score (19.25) compared to female students (17.33), which was statistically significant (p=0.01).
Overall, the lowest average score was in the internal medicine department (120.8 ± 14.16), and the highest average score was in the pediatrics department (123.37 ± 13.06), with no statistically significant difference between the various hospital departments (p=0.83).
Conclusion
This study showed that direct education of externs and interns by faculty members without the presence of residents can enhance students' motivation and reduce feelings of humiliation, aiding their learning process. To better evaluate this, further studies in separate environments with and without the presence of specialized residents are recommended.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
medical education
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