The Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Consultation-based Learning in the Neurology Clerkship

10.6145/jme201509

Jen-Feng Liang；Ling-Yu Yang；Bing-Wen Soong；Chen-Huan Chen；Shuu-Jiun Wang

consultation-based learning ； effectiveness ； neurology ； curriculum ； clerkship

Journal of Medical Education

19卷3期（2015 / 09 / 01）

89 - 98

英文

Background: Consultation-based learning is quite common for clerkship training in Western countries. It may be theoretically beneficial, but its feasibility and effectiveness in Taiwan has never been studied. Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a consultation-based learning in clinical clerkship in Taiwan, taking neurology curriculum as an example. Method: Beginning from May, 2013, all medical students rotating into the neurology clerkship in Taipei Veterans General Hospital participated in three cases of consultation. The responses of students and clinical teachers to consultation-based learning, including satisfaction level, its effectiveness, workload and qualitative feedback, were collected by anonymous questionnaire. Result: Among 49 students and 12 teachers who completed the evaluation during the study period of 20 months, 91.3% of the students and 66.6% of the teachers responded favorably to consultation-based learning; 98% and 66.6%, respectively, agreed to maintain this design of course. Nevertheless, 16.3% of students and 33.3% of teachers concerned about its negative effects on other learning activities or work. On average, teachers and students spent 0.9 and 1.7 hours preparing for each consultation case, respectively. Both students and teachers agreed it to be the most useful for clinical reasoning but the least conducive for practicing neurological examination. Conclusion: Incorporation of a consultation-based learning in the clinical clerkship is feasible and well-accepted by the clerks as being able to enhance the effectiveness of current inpatient care-based learning. This teaching design should be maintained in neurology curriculum and might hopefully extend to other clerkship rotations.

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