Enhancing clinical competency in infectious disease training: a longitudinal study of Mini-CEX implementation for...

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-CEX) in assessing and improving clinical competencies among medical interns during a 4-week infectious disease rotation.

Forty-six medical interns were assessed using Mini-CEX at the start and end of their rotation. The tool evaluated seven domains: history taking, physical examination, clinical judgment, humanistic care, communication skills, organizational effectiveness, and overall competence. Teaching physicians were trained uniformly before the trial. After the internship, interns and teaching physicians completed questionnaires and interviews.

During the internship period when Mini-CEX was implemented, significant improvements were observed in interns' clinical skills across multiple domains. For example, the average scores of interns in history taking increased from 5.12 ± 0.89 to 6.22 ± 1.01, and in physical examination from 3.97 ± 0.69 to 5.24 ± 0.86. Interns showed high acceptance and satisfaction with Mini-CEX. The implementation of Mini-CEX also improved teaching effectiveness, with enhanced teacher-student interactions.

Mini-CEX is a feasible and effective tool for clinical skill development in infectious disease training. Its structured feedback mechanism aligns with competency-based medical education (CBME) goals. Future studies should explore its scalability across disciplines and integration with complementary assessment tools.