Comparison of A Mini-Clinical evaluation exercise with the routine logbook in assessing clinical competence of operating room trainees: A parallel randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND

Enhancing the skills of future operating room students, who will have a crucial role in surgical procedures, necessitates the adoption of innovative training techniques. This study aimed to comparison of the mini-CEX with the routine logbook in assessing clinical competence of operating room trainees.

METHODS

This research was a parallel randomized controlled trial conducted on undergraduate students in the operating room department of Khomein Faculty of Medical Sciences in Iran from June 2022 to January 2024. The participating students (60 individuals) were divided into two groups: Mini-CEX (30 individuals) and Logbook (30 individuals). Students were assessed by implementing the Logbook method in the control group and the Mini-CEX method in the intervention group. Both methods were implemented in three steps with a one-week interval. Data were analyzed by SPSS-16 using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, t-test and repeated measures ANOVA with post-hoc tests.

RESULTS

There were no statistically significant differences in terms of gender, age, and grade point average between students in the two groups (p > 0.05). The mean scores of final assessments in the experimental group (by Mini-CEX methods) were significantly (P < 0.001) higher than the control one (Logbook method).

CONCLUSION

It seems that applying the Mini-CEX method resulted in the improvement of clinical skills among students. Accordingly, operating room professors can improve the learning process by using direct feedback on such evaluation methods.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER

not applicable.