Peer Learning in Undergraduate Clinical Skills Development and Assessment: a mixed methods study of the students perceived value.

Abstract

BACKGROUND\nThe utility of peer learning in clinical skills is well recognized and researched given the many benefits gained, such as: enhanced learning, alleviation of the burden on faculty, and early development of teaching skills for future doctors. However, little is known in terms of its effectiveness as an assessment tool and the extent to which peer assessment can be relied upon in the absence of faculty support.\n\n\nOBJECTIVE\nThis study was conducted to assess medical students perception towards peer learning, that is based on Self-regulated Learning (SRL), as a tool of assessment and compare peer to faculty evaluation of clinical skills performance.\n\n\nMETHODS\nA cohort of 36 third year medical students were exposed to clinical skills peer learning (same-level) for three months. A convergent mixed methods approach was adapted to collect data from three sources including students perception of peer learning, performance scores, and reflective observational analysis. A five-point Likert-type scale was used to assess (n=28) students perception on the value of peer learning. The students were asked to assess their peers using a pre-set checklist on clinical skills performance and scores were compared to faculty assessment scores. Reflective observational data was collected from observing video recordings of some of the peer learning sessions. The findings from all three sources were integrated using joint display analysis.\n\n\nRESULTS\nTwenty five out of 28 students completed the survey. Twenty students perceived peer-learning as valuable in clinical skills education. The mean score of peer assessment compared to faculty assessment was higher. There was a significant difference in student performance between the supervised teaching and peer learning groups with a (P =0.003). Observations have shown that most students focus on mastery of skill with little attention to the technique s quality. Also, students were unable to appreciate the relevance of potential clinical findings of physical examination.\n\n\nCONCLUSIONS\nPeer learning in clinical skills teaching, based on SRL, empowers students to develop a more responsible approach towards their education. However, peer assessment is insufficient to evaluate clinical skills performance in the absence of faculty support. Therefore, we recommend for the peer learning activities to be preceded by Supervised faculty-taught sessions.\n\n\nCLINICALTRIAL