The application of the spot the difference teaching method in clinical skills training for residents
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN10598469 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN10598469 |
- Submission date
- 30/03/2022
- Registration date
- 02/04/2022
- Last edited
- 03/05/2024
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Clinical skill training (CST) is indispensable for first-year surgical residents. It can usually be carried out through video-based flipped learning (FL) within a web-based learning environment. However, it was found that residents lack the process of reflection, blindly imitate results and lose interest and passion for learning in the traditional teaching pattern. The teaching method of "spot the difference" (SDTM), which is based on the fundamentals of the popular game of "spot the difference," is designed to improve students' participation and reflective learning during skill training. This study aims to evaluate this novel educational model's short-term and long-term effectiveness for surgical residents in China.
Who can participate?
First-year residents who require a 3-month rotation in the head and neck surgery department
What does the study involve?
Participants are randomly allocated into SDTM or traditional FL (control) groups. Their clinical skill performance is assessed with validated clinical skill scoring criteria.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The experimental group may achieve better learning outcomes than the control group. The possible risk is the experimental group may fail to improve performance.
Where is the study run from?
West China Hospital, Sichuan University (China)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
May 2019 to September 2020
Who is funding the study?
Investigator initiated and funded
Who is the main contact?
Wen Li
church.ent.wc@163.com
Contact information
Public
37 E Guoxue Alley
Chengdu
Sichuan
610041
Chengdu
Chengdu SC 28
China
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-1747-9594 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +86 (0)18980601420 |
| church.ent.wc@163.com |
Study information
| Study design | Prospective controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | Hospital |
| Study type | Other |
| Scientific title | The application of the spot the difference teaching method in clinical skills training for residents: a prospective controlled trial |
| Study objectives | The novel educational model's short-term and long-term effectiveness is better than the traditional method for surgical residents. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 29/11/2019, the Institutional Review Board and Ethics Committee of the West China Hospital of Sichuan University (37 E Guoxue Alley, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, People’s Republic of China; +86 (0)2885422851; huaxilunli@163.com), ref: not applicable |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Medical education (clinical skill training for first-year surgical residents) |
| Intervention | A total of 87 residents are divided into eight subgroups in the order of rotation, and the subgroups are randomly sorted into either a traditional teaching group (the control) (n =42) or an experimental group (n = 45) using a web-based randomization program. All the residents watch the teaching video before class and then review the material (flawless and flawed) in class. The total duration of intervention and follow-up is 1 year. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Performance (score) is measured using scoring criteria standards formulated following the 2020 China medical licensing examination at baseline, 3, and 12 months |
| Secondary outcome measures | Pass rate of medical licensing examination (MLE) measured by collecting the MLE performance (<60 points is considered to be unqualified) at 12 months after training |
| Overall study start date | 30/05/2019 |
| Completion date | 30/09/2020 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Health professional |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 100 |
| Total final enrolment | 87 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. First-year residents who did not rotate to other surgical departments 2. Obtained a bachelor's degree in medicine |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Residents who had rotated to other surgical departments before the study 2. Senior residents (working time ≥1 year) 3. Residents with a graduate degree 4. Residents who have obtained the qualification certificate of a clinical practitioner |
| Date of first enrolment | 30/09/2019 |
| Date of final enrolment | 20/10/2019 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- China
Study participating centre
Chengdu
Sichuan
610041
Chengdu
Chengdu SC 28
China
Sponsor information
Hospital/treatment centre
Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery
37 E Guoxue Alley
Chengdu
Sichuan
610041
Chengdu
Chengdu SC 28
China
| Phone | +86 (0)13882266956 |
|---|---|
| yangliuent@163.com | |
| Website | https://www.wchscu.cn/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/007mrxy13 |
Funders
Funder type
Other
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 08/04/2022 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Stored in publicly available repository |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Planned publication in a high-impact peer-reviewed journal (e.g. BMC Medical Education) |
| IPD sharing plan | The raw data were deposited into the Mendeley Data dataset (https://data.mendeley.com/datasets) at https://doi.org/10.17632/dfrxj839p8.1 |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | 14/07/2022 | 15/07/2022 | Yes | No | |
| Basic results | 24/08/2022 | No | No | ||
| Protocol file | 24/08/2022 | No | No | ||
| Dataset | 14/07/2022 | 03/05/2024 | No | No |
Additional files
Editorial Notes
03/05/2024: Dataset link added.
24/08/2022: The following changes have been made:
1. The protocol (not peer reviewed) has been uploaded as an additional file.
2. The basic results of this trial have been uploaded as an additional file.
15/07/2022: Publication reference added.
01/04/2022: Trial's existence confirmed by the Institutional Review Board and Ethics Committee of the West China Hospital of Sichuan University.
