Abstract
IntroductionMedical students on an emergency medicine rotation are traditionally evaluated at the end of each shift with paper-based forms, and data are often missing due to forms not being turned in or completed. Because students’ grades depend on these evaluations, change was needed to increase form rate of return. We analyzed a new electronic evaluation form and modified completion process to determine if it would increase the completion rate without altering how faculty scored student performance.MethodsDuring fall 2013, 29 faculty completed paper N=339 evaluations consisting of seven competencies for 33 students. In fall 2014, an electronic evaluation form with the same competencies was designed using an electronic platform and completed N=319 times by 27 faculty using 25 students’ electronic devices. Feedback checkboxes were added to facilitate collection of common comments. Data was analyzed with IBM® SPSS® 21.0 using multi-factor analysis of variance with the students’ global rating (GR) as an outcome. Inter-item reliability was determined with Cronbach alpha.ResultsThere was a significantly higher completion rate (p=0.001) of 98% electronic vs. 69% paper forms, lower (p=0.001) missed GR rate (1% electronic. vs 12% paper), and higher mean scores (p=0.001) for the GR with the electronic (7.0±1.1) vs. paper (6.8±1.2) form. Feedback checkboxes were completed on every form. The inter-item reliability for electronic and paper forms was each alpha=0.95.ConclusionThe use of a new electronic form and modified completion process for evaluating students at the end of shift demonstrated a higher faculty completion rate, a lower missed data rate, a higher global rating and consistent collection of common feedback. The use of the electronic form and the process for obtaining the information made our end-of-shift evaluation process for students more reliable and provided more accurate, up-to-date information for student feedback and when determining student grades.
Highlights
Medical students on an emergency medicine rotation are traditionally evaluated at the end of each shift with paper-based forms, and data are often missing due to forms not being turned in or completed
Evaluation forms are completed at the end of each shift; they form the basis for formative feedback and contribute to the summative portion of a medical student’s rotation grade
Bandiera and Lendrum examined the use of daily encounter cards based on the 2005 CanMEDS competency framework and found that emergency medicine (EM) teachers provided specific competency-based feedback after individual shifts, which when compiled covered the breadth of the competencies.[3,14]
Summary
Medical students on an emergency medicine rotation are traditionally evaluated at the end of each shift with paper-based forms, and data are often missing due to forms not being turned in or completed. Challenges in the use of end-of-shift evaluations in EM include students working with different faculty throughout a given rotation, the wide variety of clinical experiences, and the variable experience and interest of students in the specialty.[6] All of these challenges increase the difficulty of obtaining the forms and assessing the learner’s progress over time.[7,8] Even with the widespread adoption of electronic technology in the medical profession, evaluative forms still remain paper-based and this creates additional logistical problems with the collection of data.[5] The literature is sparse with reports on how to improve completion rates of these forms.
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