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Review
. 2021 Oct 18;31(6):2093-2104.
doi: 10.1007/s40670-021-01443-3. eCollection 2021 Dec.

The Use of Feedback in Improving the Knowledge, Attitudes and Skills of Medical Students: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Margareth Alves Bastos E Castro  1   2 , Regina Lúcia Muniz de Almeida  2 , Alessandra Lamas Granero Lucchetti  1   3 , Sandra Helena Cerrato Tibiriçá  3 , Oscarina da Silva Ezequiel  3 , Giancarlo Lucchetti  1   3
Affiliations
Review

The Use of Feedback in Improving the Knowledge, Attitudes and Skills of Medical Students: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Margareth Alves Bastos E Castro et al. Med Sci Educ. .

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the use of different feedback modalities in improving the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of medical students compared to students receiving no feedback or unstructured feedback. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was conducted based on a search of the Cochrane, ERIC, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. A total of 26 studies were included for the systematic review and 13 for the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed that the use of feedback was associated with better results compared to control groups (SMD = 0.80 [0.56-1.04], p < 0.001), and also when only high-quality studies were included (SMD = 0.86 [0.56-1.16], p < 0.001). Our findings revealed high heterogeneity in the use of feedback in medical education. However, the results of most of the studies and of the meta-analysis were positive, showing that feedback had a positive influence on the education-learning process of the students. PROSPERO registration: CRD42018112688.

Keywords: Feedback; Medical education; Medical students; Meta-analysis; Systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing InterestsThe authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flow diagram
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Meta-analysis of experimental (feedback) groups versus control groups for all studies
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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