Patient perceptions of medical student examinations (v1.0)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The patient: an underappreciated assessor in medical student assessment?
IRAS ID
238904
Contact name
Lawrence Szymanski
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 0 months, 5 days
Research summary
This study aims to find out the thoughts of patients who are involved in medical student long case examinations through interviews. In long case examinations, third year medical students from the University of Bristol have one hour to take a full history and examination from an inpatient whilst being assessed by a consultant doctor.
With the current emphasis on patient centred care it is more important than ever to find out what patients’ thoughts and expectations of medical students are. This can then be used to educate students and aid them in becoming patient centred practitioners. Only one study, has explored patient perceptions who have taken part in medical student examinations and this was in a shorter OSCE station format. It is unclear whether their findings apply more broadly to other examination formats and it did not ask patients about their thoughts on their role in the assessment. In long case examinations, the hour students have with a patient gives a valuable opportunity for insightful feedback.
This study will recruit current inpatients at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital who have taken part in long case examinations. Following the examinations, the patients will be interviewed individually by the chief investigator (CI). The interview will contain questions on what the patients felt were the most important characteristics and skills for students to demonstrate and what were their thoughts on their particular student. Additionally, they will be asked for their opinions on the assessment format and their role in it. The interview will last no longer than 30 minutes. Participants will be excluded if they are unwell, are unable to appreciate what they are agreeing to or if they are younger than 18. The interview will be audio recorded. It will then be written up and analysed to see what key themes arose in the interviews.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NW/0072
Date of REC Opinion
26 Jan 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion