Comparison of Online-to-Offline Teaching Rounds and Bedside Teaching Rounds in Nephrology Residency Training

Most surveys today show a marked decline in traditional beside teaching rounds (BTR) in medical education. The online-to-offline (O2O) teaching mode has been associated with improvement of academic performance of learners. This study aimed to compare the O2O teaching rounds (O2OTR) with BTR on a nephrology inpatient service and assess efficiency and satisfaction among residents.

A total of 79 trainees who participated in the nephrology residency training, were randomized either to the O2OTR group or the BTR group (control). Theoretical knowledge tests, clinical case scenarios, and questionnaires were integrated to systematically assess the teaching efficacy.

Thirty-eight residents were assigned to the O2OTR group, while the other 41 were assigned to the BTR group. Baseline demographics and performance were comparable between groups. Residents in the O2OTR group demonstrated superior performance in clinical case scenarios compared to those in the BTR group (P < 0.001) at 2 months after teaching. Moreover, O2OTR residents expressed more positive attitudes toward their clinical thinking proficiency (P < 0.001), and exhibited higher satisfaction with their teaching rounding style (P = 0.004) than their BTR counterparts.

This study suggests that the O2OTR mode serves as an effective and alternative approach in the nephrology residency training.