Observer error: are medical students good observers?
Observer error affects virtually all aspects of medicine. Our objective was to find a way to reduce it among clinical students. A minority need to be shown how to observe. A classroom exercise, repeated 6 times on separate days, using different simple objects, more than doubled the mean score on observation of visible properties of objects by a class of students in their first clinical year. Their corrected answer-slips were returned to the students at the next lecture 2 or 3 days later. Errors of omission and commission both decreased. Omission errors showed greater improvement but commission errors persisted in the class. The increment in observation seemed to be retained 5 months after tuition. Attempts were made to make a universal proforma suitable for any observation. It increased mean class score by 33% in 1994. Reducing observer error may have an educational strand. strand.
Department of Experimental Medicine, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
S M
SM
Lavelle
D
D
Kerr
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D036301:Qualitative Research; D058996:Quality Improvement; D013337:Students, Medical; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult