Medical student and patient perspectives on bedside teaching

To evaluate the perspectives of medical students and patients on bedside teaching (BST).

A cross-sectional study was undertaken to elicit patients and learners opinions on BST in Hazrat Rasool Hospital, a university teaching hospital in Tehran, Iran. From June 2008 to September 2008, 100 fourth-year medical students and 100 adult patients admitted to the general medical service of a teaching hospital were chosen randomly. Patients who stayed for a minimum of 48 hours and had at least 2 case presentations in 2 consecutive mornings were included in the study. Patients under 18 years of age, non-Persian speakers, and cognitively impaired were excluded from the study. Their perspectives on BST were assessed with 2 separate questionnaires.

The mean age of medical students was 25.2 +/- 2.2 (22-36) years and 35% were male. The mean age of patients was 46.3 +/- 18.7 (17-85) years and 50% were male. Most of medical students believed that BST is an effective way for learning principle of history taking, physical examination, practical skills, data registry, communicating skills, evidence based medicine, and interpretation of para-clinical findings. Fifty-three percent of them believed that the time of BST is not enough, while 40% thought BST is the most effective way of learning clinical skills. Sixty percent of patients were comfortable with BST and 80% of them preferred that case presentation be performed in front of them.

Our study suggests that teaching in the presence of patients provides unique and valuable opportunities to integrate the knowledge and skills of medicine for the direct benefit of the patient.