Evaluation of the seminar method to improve clinical teaching

Abstract

The effects of a seminar method to improve the teaching of ward attending physicians were evaluated. Forty-six attending physicians from four institutions were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The method was evaluated to assess its effects on attending physicians' performances and attitudes, and impact on learners. Evaluation methods included ratings of videotapes of ward rounds, teachers' subjective assessments of both their teaching performances and their experiences in the study, and trainee ratings. Videotape ratings, the teachers' own assessments, and the trainees' assessments of the attending physicians' impact on learning were significantly different, favoring the experimental group (p less than 0.05). It is concluded that the seminar method can provide the basis for effective and feasible approaches for improving clinical teaching by attending physicians.