Testing Quick Response (QR) Codes as an Innovation to Improve Feedback Among Geographically-Separated Clerkship Sites

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Collection of feedback regarding medical student clinical experiences for formative or summative purposes remains a challenge across clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of a quick response (QR) code-linked online feedback form improves the frequency and efficiency of rater feedback. Methods: In 2016, we compared paper-based feedback forms, an online feedback form, and a QR code-linked online feedback form at 15 family medicine clerkship sites across the United States. Outcome measures included usability, number of feedback submissions per student, number of unique raters providing feedback, and timeliness of feedback provided to the clerkship director. Results: The feedback method was significantly associated with usability, with QR code scoring the highest, and paper second. Accessing feedback via QR code was associated with the shortest time to prepare feedback. Across four rotations, separate repeated measures analyses of variance showed no effect of feedback system on the number of submissions per student or the number of unique raters. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that preceptors in the family medicine clerkship rate QR code-linked feedback as a high usability platform. Additionally, this platform resulted in faster form completion than paper or online forms. An overarching finding of this study is that feedback forms must be portable and easily accessible. Potential implementation barriers and the social norm for providing feedback in this manner need to be considered.

Uses of Quick Response Codes in Healthcare Education: A Scoping Review

“…United States to online or paper alternatives [40]. It was found that the QR feedback forms were associated with the highest usability score and took the shortest amount of time to prepare by students.…”

“…Four articles explore how QR codes can be used to improve trainee experience, either through improvement in feedback methods [39][40][41] or by recording procedures undertaken in a log book [42].…”

The Use of QR Codes to Promote Timely Feedback

“…As PGY-3 family medicine residents who both receive faculty feedback and are responsible for evaluating medical student performance, we read your recent article, "Testing Quick Response (QR) Codes as an Innovation to Improve Feedback Among Geographically-Separated Clerkship Sites" with great interest. 1 We commend the authors on highlighting a technology that could significantly improve the timeliness of student feedback while reducing the administrative burden required to do so. We believe that if properly implemented, such a system could be used to share feedback to learners in near real time.…”

“…We would like to thank Drs Barnes and Nowakowski for their comments on our recently published paper on the use of QR codes to promote timely feedback. 1 As they noted, timely, specific, and actionable feedback is critical in education, especially during short or highly demanding medical rotations. We believe QR technology provides a viable bridge to improve the communication between preceptor and learner.…”

Applications of Quick Response (QR) Codes in Medical Education

“…Several small studies at academic teaching hospitals have found that QR readers used for trainee evaluations are associated with improved usability and more timely feedback. 4,5 QR codes also can be integrated into print or online publications. When embedded into journal articles or textbook chapters, they can link to resources that are less effectively modeled in fixed 2-dimensional figures.…”