Medical Students' Intention to Change After Receiving Formative Feedback: Employing Social Cognitive Theories of Behavior.

INTRODUCTION

We applied Azjen's theory of planned behavior (TPB) and Triandis' theory of interpersonal behavior (TIB) to understand medical students' intention to change behavior based on feedback received during an obstetrics and gynecology clerkship. Both models presume that behavioral intention is strongly related to actual behavior.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We collected free-text responses from students during a year-long initiative on the obstetrics and gynecology clerkship at Harvard Medical School. Students reported feedback daily and what they would change based on that feedback. We applied TPB and TIB to identify students' motivation to change. We analyzed data using directed content analysis.

RESULTS

We reviewed 1,443 feedback entries from 122 students between July 2, 2018, and May 31, 2019. was the most commonly represented component, related to a student expressing their own role, ability, or skill integrating the feedback (85%). Some entries (11%) focused on students' about the outcome of the implemented feedback, usually patient focused but sometimes about the learner's outcome. Intentions motivated by focused on the perceived or stated expectations of others, usually a superior or a team (11%). A small number of entries (1.7%) indicated that students had an response to challenging or meaningful feedback.

CONCLUSIONS

While is an important change motivator, faculty development geared toward improving the provision of meaningful feedback that bridges a desired behavior change to an outcome of interest, framed through the or lens, may improve trainee performance.