Improved patient notes from medical students during web-based teaching using faculty-calibrated peer review and self-assessment.
BACKGROUND
This study examines the effectiveness of Calibrated Peer Review (CPR), a Web-based writing development program, to teach and assess medical students' patient note-writing skills in a standardized fashion.


METHODS
At the end of the clerkship year, 67 medical students were divided into three groups, introduced to CPR, and instructed in patient note-writing. Students then wrote notes for three clinical cases, presented in different order to each group. After training on faculty-calibrated standards, students evaluated their peers' notes and their own notes. Trained faculty, blinded to author, order, and group, also graded student notes.


RESULTS
Faculty gave lower scores than students, but both groups found students' scores improved significantly from the first to the third note written.


CONCLUSIONS
Student-written patient notes improved in quality while using CPR. The program uses approaches valued in medicine (accurate peer review and self-reflection) to enhance performance.
McCarty
Teresita
T
Undergraduate Medical Education-Assessment & Learning, MSC08 4710, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. tmccarty@salud.unm.edu
Parkes
Marie V
MV
Anderson
Teresa T
TT
Mines
Jan
J
Skipper
Betty J
BJ
Grebosky
James
J
D002983:Clinical Competence; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D004282:Documentation; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D010380:Peer Review; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013337:Students, Medical; D014481:United States