What Makes a Good Endoscopic Teacher: A Qualitative Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Gastroenterology
• Endoscopic Procedures

Background:

• Effective teaching practices for endoscopic procedures are not well-documented in medical literature.
• Existing research primarily focuses on supervising physicians' perspectives, neglecting the learner's viewpoint.
• Understanding learner-perceived teaching behaviors is essential for optimizing endoscopic training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize endoscopic teaching behaviors that learners perceive as beneficial or detrimental to their skill development.
• To identify specific behaviors that enhance or hinder the learning of endoscopic procedures from the trainee's perspective.

Main Methods:

• Prospective qualitative content analysis of feedback from gastroenterology fellows.
• Anonymous feedback collected via preprinted cards after procedures over a 9-month period.
• Content analysis of 239 documented teaching behaviors, categorized into themes and assigned valence (positive/negative).

Main Results:

• A total of 29 unique teaching behaviors were identified across 7 themes: teaching, learning environment, autonomy, communication, coaching, feedback, and professionalism.
• The majority of identified behaviors (77.4%) were perceived as beneficial to learning.
• Behaviors related to teaching were most frequently beneficial, while those concerning professionalism and communication were most often detrimental.

Conclusions:

• Specific teaching behaviors significantly impact the learning of endoscopic skills.
• Findings can inform the development of teaching evaluation tools, faculty development programs, and direct instructional strategies in endoscopy.
• Addressing detrimental behaviors, particularly in communication and professionalism, is key to improving endoscopic training.