Are workplace-based assessment methods (DOPS and Mini-CEX) effective in nursing students' clinical skills? A single-blind randomized, parallel group, controlled trial

Application of Mini-CEX combined with DOPS in standardized training of community outpatient residents

OBJECTIVE

To explore the application effect of mini clinical evaluation exercise (Mini-CEX) combined with direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS) in the standardized training of general practitioners in community clinics.

METHODS

From June 2022 to June 2023,20 general practitioners who received standardized training for residents in the general outpatient department of Changqing Community Health Service Center of Wuhan Fourth Hospital were collected as the research objects. Mini-CEX combined with DOPS was used to evaluate the general practitioners at the time of admission, 2 weeks of training and 4 weeks of training, and the results were fed back.

RESULTS

The scores of 20 general practitioners at 2 weeks and 4 weeks of training were compared with the scores at the time of admission, and the difference was statistically significant, p < 0.05.

CONCLUSION

Mini-CEX combined with DOPS can improve the teaching effect of standardized training of residents in community general clinics.

Application of flipped classroom based on CDIO concept combined with mini-CEX evaluation model in the clinical teaching of orthopedic nursing

BACKGROUND

After the COVID-19 epidemic, the state has paid more attention to the clinical teaching function of affiliated hospitals of colleges and universities. Strengthening the integration of medicine and education and improving the quality and effect of clinical practice teaching are critical challenges facing medical education. The difficulty of orthopedic teaching lies in the characteristics of a wide variety of diseases, strong professionalism, and relatively abstract characteristics, which affect the initiative, enthusiasm, and learning effect of nursing students. In this study, a flipped classroom teaching plan based on the CDIO (conceive-design-implement-operate) concept was constructed and practiced in the orthopedic nursing student training course to improve the effect of practical teaching, and it is convenient for teachers to implement more effective and targeted teaching in the flipped classroom of nursing education and even medical education in the future.

METHODS

Fifty undergraduate nursing students who practiced in the Orthopedics Department of a tertiary hospital in June 2017 were enrolled in the control group, while 50 undergraduate nursing students who practiced in the same department in June 2018 were enrolled in the intervention group. The intervention group adopted the flipped classroom teaching mode of the CDIO concept, whereas the control group adopted the traditional teaching mode. After finishing the department practice task, the students in the two groups completed the evaluation of theory, operation skills, independent learning ability, and critical thinking ability. They completed the evaluation of clinical practice ability in eight dimensions, including four processes of nursing procedures, humanistic care ability, and evaluation of clinical teaching quality for two groups of teachers.

RESULTS

After teaching, the clinical practice ability, critical thinking ability, autonomous learning ability, theoretical and operational performance, and evaluation of clinical teaching quality in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group (all p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The CDIO-based teaching mode can stimulate the independent learning ability and critical thinking ability of nursing interns, promote the organic combination of theory and practice, improve their ability to comprehensively use theoretical knowledge to analyze and solve practical problems, and improve teaching effectiveness.

Application of symptom-based mind mapping combined with PBL teaching method in emergency trauma standardized resident training in MDT model

Explore the feasibility and effectiveness of accepting mind mapping combined with problem-based learning (PBL) teaching method in the standardized training of emergency surgery residents in the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) model of emergency trauma. Eighty-nine doctors under training who rotated in the Department of Emergency Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from January 2021 to January 2022 were selected as the study subjects, and randomly divided into a group receiving mind mapping combined with PBL teaching and a group receiving traditional lecture-based learning teaching. Mini-clinical evaluation exercise (Mini-CEX), direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS), teaching adherence, and satisfaction assessments were completed at the time of discharge from the department. There were no significant differences between the observation and control group trainees in terms of gender, age, education, and entry grades. Both groups of doctors were better able to participate in their respective teaching modes and made significant progress. The participants in the observation group had significantly higher Mini-CEX, DOPS, and teaching satisfaction scores than the control group (P < .05). Under the MDT model of emergency trauma, the combination of mind mapping and PBL teaching can improve the comprehensive clinical ability of the trainees more than participating in the traditional lecture-based learning teaching, which is worth promoting and implementing in the clinical standardized training.

The impact of the evaluations made by Mini-CEX on the clinical competency of nursing students

INTRODUCTION

Clinical competency is defined as one's capabilities in terms of knowledge, attitude and practice, and is a necessity for nursing practice. Evaluation is the inseparable part of the education process, without which the quality of education could not be measured. Considering the characteristics of clinical education and its impact on the clinical competency of students, as well as the importance of making precise evaluations of them using scientific, modern and efficient approaches, this study aims to investigate the impact of the evaluation made using Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise on the clinical competency of the nursing students of the School of Nursing and Midwifery Shahid Behesti University.

METHODS

This is a quasi-experimental study with a control group conducted on students who were taking courses "Nursing care for a sick child". The students were classified into the intervention and control groups using complete enumeration. The evaluations were made using Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise in the intervention group and the portfolio approach in the control group. The skills regarding patient (mother-child) education, IV therapy and medication were evaluated by checklists.

FINDINGS

The results showed that the mean score of clinical competency in the intervention group was significantly higher than that of the control group.

CONCLUSION

Considering the improvement of clinical competency in the intervention group, it is recommended to use Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise for the evaluation of students.