Unearthing Faculty and Trainee Perspectives of Feedback in Internal Medicine: the Oral Case Presentation as a Model.

Background: The case presentation is a fundamental activity used in both patient care and trainee education, partly due to feedback from supervisor to trainee. Although feedback in medical education is well studied, prior studies have not focused on the perceptions of feedback by Internal Medicine supervisors and trainees as it relates to clinical activities like the case presentation.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight Internal Medicine physicians, and 18 Internal Medicine trainees (5 medical students, 13 residents) at the University of Toronto. Purposive sampling was used. Interviews were conducted and coded iteratively within a constructivist grounded theory approach until saturation was reached.

Results: Supervisors and trainees recognized feedback as an important part of the case presentation that can be (1) explicit, labeled feedback or (2) implicit, unlabeled feedback. Both trainees and supervisors perceived that not enough feedback occurs, likely stemming from a hesitancy by supervisors to label implicit feedback, calling it an interruption instead. Although trainees were keenly aware of non-verbal feedback from their supervisors as implicit feedback, they often interpreted explicit constructive feedback negatively. Interestingly, the same feedback from senior residents was regarded as highly educational, as it was uncoupled from assessment.

Conclusion: Feedback occurs more frequently in case presentations than previously described, particularly in an implicit, unlabeled format. Even though under-recognized, trainees identify and utilize implicit feedback from supervisors, and coaching from senior residents, to develop learned behaviors. This is reassuring in the age of Competency-Based Medical Education, as feedback has an essential role in workplace-based assessment and promotion.