Reflect to interact – fostering medical students’ communication through reflection-focused e-learning

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Laura Janssen - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Kristina Schick - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Tiziana Neurohr - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Sylvia Irene Donata Pittroff - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Sabine Reiser - , University of Erfurt (Author)
  • Johannes Bauer - , University of Erfurt (Author)
  • Pascal O. Berberat - , Technical University of Munich (Author)
  • Martin Gartmeier - , Technical University of Munich (Author)

Abstract

Background: Previous research indicates that reflection can foster medical communication competence. However, best practices for embedding reflection in online medical education are missing. This study examined how reflection processes can be promoted and embedded in an e-learning course on physician–patient communication to foster learning. Methods: We investigated three differently designed e-learning conditions featuring different proportions of reflection triggers and compared their effects on students’ reflections. We had 114 medical students in their first clinical year complete one of the variants: video modelling (VM, n = 39), video reflection (VR, n = 39), or a variant merging both approaches (VMR, n = 36). Each student wrote a total of nine reflections based on the same guiding questions at three time points embedded in the course. The students’ levels of reflection were measured using an adapted version of the REFLECT rubric (scale 0–18). Results: Students of all course variants achieved good levels of reflection beyond the descriptive level at all three time points, with no significant differences between the variants. The mean reflection scores at the end of the course were M = 14.22 for VM (SD = 2.23), M = 13.56 for VR (SD = 2.48), and M = 13.24 for VMR (SD = 2.21). Students who completed VM showed significantly improved levels of reflection over the course, whereas we found no statistically significant development for those in VR or VMR. The reflection scores correlated significantly positively with each other, as did the text lengths of the written reflections. Reflection scores also correlated significantly positively with text length. Conclusions: Our study offers a teaching strategy that can foster good levels of reflection, as demonstrated in the three e-learning variants. The developed reflection prompts can be easily embedded in various e-learning environments and enable reflections of good quality, even in settings with limited available teaching time.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number541
JournalBMC medical education
Volume24
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2024
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

PubMed 38750528
ORCID /0000-0002-4819-4604/work/170587773

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Communication, e-learning, Medical education, Online learning, Reflective practice, Reflective writing