Practical Efficacy of the Mobile Video Feedback Method in Teaching Clinical Abscess Incision and Drainage Skills

Although video feedback is incorporated into medical education research, its broad implementation in the practical teaching of procedural skills remains challenging. Thus, we aimed to investigate the practical effects of the mobile video feedback teaching method in clinical skills training for abscess incision and drainage.

A total of 72 second-year medical students majoring in a 5-year clinical medicine program were randomly allocated (1:1) to either the traditional teaching (TT) group or the mobile video feedback teaching (MVFT) group. All students received the same foundational theoretical knowledge, followed by distinct practical training sessions corresponding to their group allocation. The final procedural assessment on a simulation manikin was conducted by 2 examiners simultaneously, and each student's final score was calculated as the average of both examiners' scores. Effects were further assessed using the Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-CEX), in addition to evaluations of teaching performance and self-perception.

Students in the MVFT group achieved a significantly higher average final score than those in the TT group (78.67 ± 6.72 vs 75.00 ± 7.95, P = .038). Additionally, 4 initially lower-performing students in the MVFT group scored significantly higher than 4 comparable students in the TT group (67.50 ± 1.29 vs 63.00 ± 3.16, P = .039). The MVFT group achieved significantly higher scores in clinical judgment, physical examination, organizational skills, and overall performance (P = .000, P = .000, P = .037, P = .040, respectively). Furthermore, students in the MVFT group reported significantly greater satisfaction across several domains, including their perception of the teaching methodology, comprehension of learning materials, and ability to perform self-directed learning with tools (P = .042, P = .032, P = .041, respectively).

This study demonstrates that the mobile video feedback method enhances comprehension and procedural proficiency in clinical skills, particularly for initially lower-performing students, supporting its integration into the curriculum to improve educational outcomes. The method's accessibility and low cost further facilitate its adoption as a scalable tool for self-directed learning and targeted remediation.