Efficacy of a Web-Based Oral Case Presentation Instruction Module: Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE: Effective self-directed educational tools are invaluable. Our objective was to determine whether a self directed, web-based oral case presentation module would improve medical students' oral case presentations compared to usual curriculum, and with similar efficacy as structured oral presentation faculty feedback sessions. METHODS: We conducted a pragmatic multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial among medical students rotating in pediatric clerkships at 7 US medical schools. In the clerkship's first 14 days, subjects were instructed to complete an online Computer-Assisted Learning in Pediatrics Program (CLIPP) oral case presentation module, an in-person faculty-led case presentation feedback session, or neither (control). At the clerkship's end, evaluators blinded to intervention status rated the quality of students' oral case presentations on a 10-point scale. We conducted intention-to-treat multivariable analyses clustered on clerkship block. RESULTS: Study participants included 256 CLIPP (32.5%), 263 feedback (33.3%), and 270 control (34.2%) subjects. Only 51.1% of CLIPP subjects completed the assigned presentation module, while 98.5% of feedback subjects participated in presentation feedback sessions. Compared to controls, oral presentation quality was significantly higher in the feedback group (adjusted difference in mean quality, 0.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.08, 0.49) and trended toward being significantly higher in the CLIPP group (0.19; 95% confidence interval, -0.006, 0.38). The quality of presentations in the CLIPP and feedback groups was not significantly different (-0.10; 95% confidence interval, -0.31, 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: The quality of oral case presentations delivered by students randomized to complete the CLIPP module did not differ from faculty-led presentation feedback sessions and was not statistically superior to control.