Twelve Tips for Recognizing and Addressing the Adverse Effects of Medical Education Interventions: Tutorial.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• The principle of "first, do no harm" is central to healthcare but often overlooked in educational research.
• Educational interventions are frequently assumed to be inherently harmless, an assumption requiring critical evaluation.
• Adverse effects in medical education are underrecognized, despite their potential to negatively impact learners.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the concept of adverse effects in medical education.
• To introduce 12 representative educational adverse effects and provide mitigation strategies.
• To encourage a more rigorous approach to evaluating educational interventions.

Main Methods:

• Identification and categorization of 12 representative adverse effects in medical education.
• Classification of adverse effects into cognitive/psychological, structural/cultural, and methodological/evaluative domains.
• Discussion of mitigation strategies for each identified adverse effect.

Main Results:

• Twelve adverse effects were identified, including the Dunning-Kruger effect, undermining effect, cognitive overload, patient dehumanization, and expertise reversal effect.
• Adverse effects were categorized into cognitive/psychological, structural/cultural, and methodological/evaluative domains.
• Mitigation tips were provided for each adverse effect to address potential harm.

Conclusions:

• Educational interventions, like clinical ones, can have adverse effects that require careful monitoring and mitigation.
• Recognizing and addressing adverse effects is crucial for protecting learners and enhancing the quality of medical education.
• A rigorous, safety-focused approach comparable to clinical research is needed for educational interventions.