OBJECTIVE: While several models of medical student instruction in the ambulatory setting exist, few have been formally studied. We wished to assess the impact of a faculty development workshop based on the One-Minute Preceptor model on the amount and quality of feedback in the outpatient setting.DESIGN: Ambulatory teaching behaviors were studied during consecutive outpatient precepting sessions before and after 3 faculty development workshops. Student±teacher interactions were assessed using audiotapes of teaching encounters coded through qualitative techniques, and surveys of teacher, learner, and patient satisfaction.SETTING: Ambulatory internal medicine clinic in a tertiary care medical center. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS:Nine board-certified internist faculty preceptors and 44 third-year medical students. INTERVENTIONS:Three 90-minute faculty development seminars based on the One-Minute Preceptor teaching model. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:Ninety-four encounters with 18,577 utterances were recorded, half before and half after the seminars. After the workshops, the proportion of utterances that contained feedback increased from 17% to 22% (P = .09) and was more likely to be specific (9% vs 15%; P = .02). After the workshops, teachers reported that the learning encounters were more successful (P = .03) and that they were better at letting the students reach their own conclusions (P = .001), at evaluating the learners (P = .03), and at creating plans for post-encounter learning (P = .02). The workshops had no effect on the duration of the student± teacher encounter or on student or patient satisfaction with the encounters.CONCLUSIONS: Brief, interactive, faculty development workshops based on the One-Minute Preceptor model of clinical teaching resulted in modest improvements in the quality of feedback delivered in the ambulatory setting.

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Antidepressants are more effective than placebo in reducing pain severity but not functional status in chronic back pain.

There is no evidence-based minimum number of ECG interpretations that is ideal for attaining or maintaining competency in ECG interpretation skills. Further research is needed to clarify the optimal way to build and maintain ECG interpretation skills based on patient outcomes.