Can a dedicated teaching and learning environment in ambulatory care improve the acquisition of learning outcomes?

Current trends in undergraduate medical education are moving away from traditional ward based learning to ambulatory care teaching. We wanted to know whether students gain more learning outcomes from a dedicated ambulatory teaching environment than a conventional outpatient clinic. A comparative eva...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medical teacher 2005-06, Vol.27 (4), p.358-363
Main Authors: Stewart, Clare I.L., Preece, Paul E., Dent, John A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ambulatory Care
Ambulatory health care
Clinical placements
Comparative studies
Education, Medical, Undergraduate - methods
Humans
Learning
Learning environment
Medical education
Patient care
Scotland
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:Current trends in undergraduate medical education are moving away from traditional ward based learning to ambulatory care teaching. We wanted to know whether students gain more learning outcomes from a dedicated ambulatory teaching environment than a conventional outpatient clinic. A comparative evaluation study using a semi-structured student questionnaire and a structured patient questionnaire was performed. Results indicated the learning environment and organization of the teaching in the Ambulatory Care Teaching Centre (ACTC) rated higher. Surprisingly, however, more learning outcomes were achieved in the conventional outpatient clinic setting, but each venue demonstrated particular strengths with regard to individual outcomes. The level of patient satisfaction in the ACTC was high implying patient care was not adversely affected utilizing this setting. This information will inform practice for the content of future teaching sessions in the outpatient setting.
ISSN:0142-159X
1466-187X
DOI:10.1080/01421590500087050