Longitudinal Clinical Debrief in an Undergraduate Medical Programme

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Reasoning Development
• Undergraduate Medical Training

Background:

• Explicitly teaching clinical reasoning to medical students presents challenges.
• Structured clinical debrief sessions can facilitate case study and placement experience discussions.
• This study investigates student perceptions of clinical debrief value throughout their medical curriculum.

Purpose of the Study:

• To understand undergraduate medical student perceptions of the value of clinical debrief sessions.
• To explore how perceived value and skill development contributions of clinical debrief vary across different curriculum years.

Main Methods:

• A scaffolded series of clinical debrief sessions were implemented across Years 1, 3, and 5 of a 5-year UK undergraduate medical program.
• Session complexity increased across year levels and was refined based on student feedback.
• Over 8000 student feedback responses (Likert-scale and open-ended) were analyzed using descriptive statistics and AI-assisted conceptual content analysis.

Main Results:

• Clinical debrief was positively perceived across all student cohorts.
• Perceived value increased for Year 3 students but slightly decreased for Year 5 students.
• Early-year students highlighted communication and clinical reasoning; later-year students valued ethical, medico-legal skills, and practice preparation. Tutors were highly rated for fostering inclusive learning environments.

Conclusions:

• Scaffolded clinical debrief is a positively regarded educational tool for undergraduate medical students.
• The perceived benefits evolve with the students' year level, emphasizing different skill sets.
• Effective implementation requires aligning debrief design with student experiences and expectations, supported by robust tutor training.