Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Nov 8:21:32160.
doi: 10.3402/meo.v21.32160. eCollection 2016.

Feedback in formative OSCEs: comparison between direct observation and video-based formats

Noëlle Junod Perron  1   2 , Martine Louis-Simonet  3 , Bernard Cerutti  1 , Eva Pfarrwaller  4 , Johanna Sommer  4 , Mathieu Nendaz  1   3
Affiliations

Feedback in formative OSCEs: comparison between direct observation and video-based formats

Noëlle Junod Perron et al. Med Educ Online. .

Abstract

Introduction: Medical students at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland, have the opportunity to practice clinical skills with simulated patients during formative sessions in preparation for clerkships. These sessions are given in two formats: 1) direct observation of an encounter followed by verbal feedback (direct feedback) and 2) subsequent review of the videotaped encounter by both student and supervisor (video-based feedback). The aim of the study was to evaluate whether content and process of feedback differed between both formats.

Methods: In 2013, all second- and third-year medical students and clinical supervisors involved in formative sessions were asked to take part in the study. A sample of audiotaped feedback sessions involving supervisors who gave feedback in both formats were analyzed (content and process of the feedback) using a 21-item feedback scale.

Results: Forty-eight audiotaped feedback sessions involving 12 supervisors were analyzed (2 direct and 2 video-based sessions per supervisor). When adjusted for the length of feedback, there were significant differences in terms of content and process between both formats; the number of communication skills and clinical reasoning items addressed were higher in the video-based format (11.29 vs. 7.71, p=0.002 and 3.71 vs. 2.04, p=0.010, respectively). Supervisors engaged students more actively during the video-based sessions than during direct feedback sessions (self-assessment: 4.00 vs. 3.17, p=0.007; active problem-solving: 3.92 vs. 3.42, p=0.009). Students made similar observations and tended to consider that the video feedback was more useful for improving some clinical skills.

Conclusion: Video-based feedback facilitates discussion of clinical reasoning, communication, and professionalism issues while at the same time actively engaging students. Different time and conceptual frameworks may explain observed differences. The choice of feedback format should depend on the educational goal.

Keywords: OSCEs; direct observation; feedback; formative; quality; video review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

and funding The authors declare that they have no competing interests. The Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation supported the cost of the data collection.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Hasnain M, Connell KJ, Downing SM, Olthoff A, Yudkowsky R. Toward meaningful evaluation of clinical competence: the role of direct observation in clerkship ratings. Acad Med. 2004;79:S21–4. - PubMed
    1. Sandars J. The e-learning site. Educ Prim Care. 2011;22:443–4. - PubMed
    1. Eva KW, Regehr G. Self-assessment in the health professions: a reformulation and research agenda. Acad Med. 2005;80:S46–54. - PubMed
    1. Ward M, Gruppen L, Regehr G. Measuring self-assessment: current state of the art. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2002;7:63–80. - PubMed
    1. Hattie J, Timperley H. The power of feedback. Rev Educ Res. 2007;77:81–112.

LinkOut - more resources