title: End-task versus in-task feedback to increase procedural learning retention during spinal anaesthesia training of novices.
abstract: Communication of feedback during teaching of practical procedures is a fine balance of structure and timing. We investigate if continuous in-task (IT) or end-task feedback (ET) is more effective in teaching spinal anaesthesia to medical students. End-task feedback was hypothesized to improve both short-term and long-term procedural learning retention as experiential learning promotes active learning after encountering errors during practice. Upon exposure to a 5-min instructional video, students randomized to IT or ET feedbacks were trained using a spinal simulator mannequin. A blinded expert tested the students using a spinal anaesthesia checklist in the short term (immediate) and long-term (average 4 months). Sixty-five students completed the training and testing. There were no differences in demographics of age or gender within IT or ET distributions. Both short-term and long-term learning retention of spinal anaesthesia ET feedback proved to be better (P < 0.01) than IT feedback. The time taken for ET students was shorter at long-term testing. End-task feedback improves both short-term and long-term procedural learning retention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, National University Hospital, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore, 119074, Singapore. lynlilean@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lyn Li
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Lean
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore, 119260, Singapore.
authors.forename: Ryan Yee Shiun
authors.initials: RYS
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, National University Hospital, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore, 119074, Singapore.
authors.forename: Lian Kah
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Ti
mesh_terms: D000775:Anesthesia, Spinal; D000776:Anesthesiology / Q000193:education*; D057189:Checklist; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008348:Manikins; D018794:Problem-Based Learning; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anaesthesia; Experiential learning; Formative feedback; Spinal; Teaching methods