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Impact of Cardiac Physical Examination Faculty Development on Medical Student Performance: A Randomized Trial

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Abstract

Background

Cardiac physical examination skills are often deficient in trainees and faculty members. Although recommended, the impact of cardiac physical examination faculty development on “downstream” trainee skills is unknown.

Aim

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of cardiac physical examination education for faculty and its impact on their students.

Methods

We developed an 8-h multimodality training course featuring deliberate practice and feedback. From July 2012 to April 2013, 17 internal medicine hospitalists were randomized to receive training. Impact was measured on hospitalists and 56 medical students. The primary outcome was hospitalist and student performance on a cardiac physical examination interpretation test.

Results

Intervention hospitalists significantly increased their cardiac physical examination interpretation skills from 54 % at pretest to 92 % at posttest (p < 0.001). However, test scores of students who worked with intervention hospitalists did not significantly increase (52 to 56 %, p = 0.26). Students rated the intervention hospitalists as more thorough on only one element of the cardiac physical examination than untrained faculty members (p = <0.05).

Conclusion

An 8-h faculty development course improved the cardiac physical examination skills of faculty. Skills of medical learners did not improve. Future faculty instruction needs to be more powerful or targeted directly to learners.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Northwestern medical students who participated in this study for their dedication to patient care and education. We also thank Jay X. Thomas, PhD for his support of faculty development, and Anna-Kate Trubilowicz for her tireless efforts in data collection. We are indebted to Dr. Barry Issenberg for use of the computer-based UMedic curriculum and creation of the computer-based assessment tool. This study was supported by the Augusta Webster Grants for Innovation in Medical Education, Office of the Dean, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.

Conflict of Interest

Dr. McGaghie has been consultant to, and received honorariums from, the Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. All other authors report no declarations of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Eric W. Schaefer, Diane B. Wayne, Sarah E. Kozmic, I. Martin Grais & John Butter

  2. Ralph P. Leischner, Jr. MD Institute for Medical Education, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, USA

    William C. McGaghie

  3. Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 251 E. Huron St. Feinberg 16-738, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Eric W. Schaefer

Authors
  1. Eric W. Schaefer
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  2. Diane B. Wayne
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  3. William C. McGaghie
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  4. Sarah E. Kozmic
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  5. I. Martin Grais
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  6. John Butter
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eric W. Schaefer.

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Notes on contributors

Eric W. Schaefer, MD is an Assistant Professor, of the Division of Hospital Medicine and Augusta Webster Office of Medical Education, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. Diane B. Wayne, MD is the Dr. John Sherman Appleman Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. William C Mcgaghie, PhD is the Director of the Ralph P. Leischner, Jr. MD Institute for Medical Education at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, USA. Sarah E Kozmic is a research coordinator, of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. I. Martin Grais, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. John Butter, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Augusta Webster Office of Medical Education, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.

Appendix A

Appendix A

Table 3 Cardiac physical examination checklist
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Schaefer, E.W., Wayne, D.B., McGaghie, W.C. et al. Impact of Cardiac Physical Examination Faculty Development on Medical Student Performance: A Randomized Trial. Med.Sci.Educ. 24, 165–172 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-014-0031-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-014-0031-4

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