Cross-year peer tutoring on internal medicine wards: effects on self-assessed clinical competencies--a group control design study.
BACKGROUND
Peer-assisted learning (PAL) has become a well-accepted teaching method within medical education. However, descriptions of on-ward PAL programmes are rare. We introduced a PAL programme with a focus on clinical competencies on internal medicine wards.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the effects of an on-ward PAL programme on self-assessed clinical competencies.


METHODS
A total of 168 medical students were randomly assigned to one of the seven intervention wards or one of the seven control wards. During their 5-week ward-placement, the intervention group (IG; n = 88) received 10 patient-centred tutorials lead by final year tutors: (I) history taking, (II) physical examination, (III) blood withdrawal, (IV) infusion, (V) patient files, (VI and VII) ECG, (VIII-X) chart rounds. The control group (CG; n = 80) did not take part in the PAL programme. Clinical competencies were self-assessed pre- and post-intervention.


RESULTS
For five of the ten assessed clinical competencies, increases in self-confidence ratings were significantly higher in the IG as compared to CG.


CONCLUSIONS
RESULTS provide preliminary evidence to suggest that PAL programmes on internal medicine wards and with final year students as peer tutors may represent a valuable additional tool within medical clerkships. However, the findings must be confirmed and clarified in further research.
Nikendei
C
C
University of Heidelberg Medical Hospital, Germany. christoph_nikendei@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Andreesen
S
S
Hoffmann
K
K
Junger
J
J