Enhancing the one-minute preceptor method for clinical teaching with a DEFT approach.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Infectious Diseases
• Clinical Pedagogy

Background:

• Limited validated educational theories exist for teaching medical knowledge and diagnostic reasoning.
• Existing clinical education models require enhancement to meet diverse learner needs.
• Infectious diseases present complex diagnostic challenges requiring effective teaching strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address gaps in clinical education pedagogy by proposing new teaching concepts.
• To enhance the existing one-minute preceptor model for improved medical training.
• To introduce the DEFT (Diagnosis, Evidence, Feedback, Teaching) acronym as a mnemonic for effective clinical interactions.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized relevant literature on medical education and clinical skills.
• Identified and adapted proven educational approaches.
• Enhanced the one-minute preceptor model with the DEFT framework.
• Illustrated the model with a case example of a child with a respiratory infection.

Main Results:

• The DEFT acronym (Diagnosis, Evidence, Feedback, Teaching) provides a structured approach to clinical teaching.
• The enhanced model emphasizes core elements of learner-preceptor interactions.
• The DEFT approach facilitates discussion of risk factors, disease mechanisms, and complications.
• Preceptors can model analytical and diagnostic skills effectively.

Conclusions:

• The one-minute preceptor/DEFT approach is a practical, skills-focused method for clinical training.
• This model is adaptable, case-driven, and experiential.
• The DEFT framework can improve the quality of medical education interactions.
• The approach is applicable across various medical specialties beyond infectious diseases.