%0 Journal Article
%T Bedside Teaching in Australian Clinical Schools: A National Study
%A Praveen L. Indraratna
%A Louise C. Greenup
%A Timothy X. Yang
%J Journal of Biomedical Education
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/948651
%X Purpose. Bedside teaching (BST) of medical students has become less common in recent years; however, there have been strong recommendations made in the literature to continue this teaching modality for the valued benefits it provides. The purpose of the present study is to explore the perceptions and opinions of bedside teaching among senior Australian medical students. Methods. Medical students at Australian universities were surveyed by means of an electronic questionnaire. The results were collected and analysed. Results. A total of 517 responses were received from students at 15 universities and 94 different clinical sites. The percentage of students who identified BST as very important ranged from 62.5% in psychiatry to 90.4% in internal medicine. The optimal class size was nominated as 3-4 students, and students favoured a style where one individual performs a complete examination, with the remainder allowed to elicit the key sign afterwards. Students felt 3-4 hours of BST per week to be ideal. Advantages identified to BST included provision of feedback and elicitation of clinical signs. Disadvantages included time constraints and excessive class sizes. Conclusions. The unique benefits of BST result in its high demand by students, regardless of the discipline being taught. 1. Introduction Bedside teaching (BST), defined as when a clinician supervises a group of students at the patientĄ¯s bedside to elicit a history or physical signs, was once the most common form of medical student teaching [1]. It is currently, however, seen primarily as an adjunctive teaching method to classroom-based and informal teaching. Documented reasons for this include time constraints on tutors, increasing reliance on biochemical testing, medical imaging, and consultation of subspecialists [1¨C3]. Despite this, medical students still desire BST, and anecdotal reports have described declining amounts of this particular teaching modality and, in some centres, a total lack thereof. The opinions and perceptions of current medical students regarding this teaching modality, however, remain largely unpublished. The present study is the largest survey of studentsĄ¯ opinions and perceptions on BST, and it has targeted a multi-institutional population across the nation. Factors analysed included studentsĄ¯ opinions on optimal class size, time devoted to BST, and teaching style, as well as the importance of BST within various medical disciplines. 2. Methods Ethical approval was granted by the University of New South Wales Human Research and Ethics Advisory Panel (ref: AD 11066). 2.1.
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jbe/2013/948651/