Standardization of Morning Reports in Internal Medicine Department at Kashan University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Morning report is one of the most effective methods in clinical education. The purpose of this paper was to assess the current state of morning report in the Department of Internal Medicine at Kashan University of Medical Sciences in order to identify the weaknesses and standardize this important educational procedure. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in Department of Internal Medicine at Kashan University of Medical Sciences in 2016. Data were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire based on the clinical education standards developed by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Deputy of Education. First, the weaknesses were identified in the morning report sessions by surveying the stagers, interns and residents selected by means of census method from all of the internal medicine learners (15 stagers, 6 interns, and 9 residents). Then, faculty members were lectured on the correct way of holding morning report session. After the trainings, the participants were resurveyed using the same questionnaire and the extent of changes in complying with the educational standards was measured. The data were analyzed by Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test. Results: The standards with significant increase in full compliance after the intervention were as follows: complete observation of “step-by-step discussion” (p<0.001), “differential diagnosis” (p=0.001), “discussion of diagnostic tests” (p<0.001), “discussion of systematic approach” (p=0.005), “discussion of radiology images” (p=0.002), “provision of appropriate conditions for teacher-learner interactions” (p=0.004), “attention to learners’ attendance” (p=0.001), and “teacher-learner eye-contact” (p=0.024). Conclusion: The training of the internal medicine faculty members in morning report had a positive effect on the standardization, and the quality of education and its compliance with the standards may be improved by continuous trainings.