Evaluation of Feedback Systems for the Third-Year Surgical Clerkship

To compare faculty-to-student feedback rates from 2 different data sets: direct observation cards (direct evidence) and end-of-clerkship questionnaires (ECQs, secondary student reporting). We as authors hypothesized that direct evidence from observation cards would yield higher rates of feedback, compared with student-reported ECQs.

Data were gathered from 2 consecutive medical classes of the third-year surgical clerkship. Data were analyzed retrospectively. Subjects and authors were blinded during data collection and analysis.

University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) and University of Michigan Health System (UMHS). UMHS is an academic tertiary care center, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Data were gathered from all third-year medical students completing the surgical clerkship from 2012 to 2014. Data were available for 309 students, compared to 313 students who graduated from UMMS during that time.

Directly measured rates of feedback showed higher rates of midclerkship feedback (95.43% vs 83.57%, p < 0.05), feedback on an observed history-taking (97.62% vs 84.87%, p < 0.05), and feedback on an observed physical examination (99.67% vs 79.71%, p < 0.05), when compared with the ECQ.

These data suggest that solely using ECQs to assess feedback rates may be inadequate. The use of multiple methods to assess feedback may therefore be a prudent choice for surgical clerkships.