An educational model to teach at the bedside: A qualitative exploratory descriptive study

Background: Teaching medical students at the bedside to foster a spectrum of essential skills can only be acquired if an educational method is utilized in rounding practices regularly. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the best model for conducting bedside rounds from the perspectives of medical teachers and students in our context. Methods: This qualitative exploratory descriptive study, using interviews and observations, was conducted at the Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran in 2020. We recruited skilled bedside teachers/role models (n=6) and medical students (n=8) based on snowball and purposive sampling techniques. Data were collected through (A) semi-structured individual interviews and (B) observation of clinical rounds. We used deductive content analysis to analyze data using MAXQDA software version 12. The trustworthiness of the data was evaluated based on four criteria: credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Results: In total, this study involved 14 participants, which included 6 bedside role models and 8 medical students. The mean age of medical teachers and medical students was 50 and 29.6 years, respectively. The mean duration of the interviews for medical teachers, medical students, interns, and residents was 20, 25, 30, and 20 minutes, respectively. The findings revealed three cycles and twelve phases that contribute to the development of the optimal bedside teaching model. These include the preparation cycle (comprising preparation, planning, and orientation), the clinical exposure cycle (which involves introduction, interaction, instruction, reinforcement, supervision, and summarization), and the conclusion cycle (consisting of debriefing, feedback, and reflection). Conclusion: An educational model can better facilitate the acquisition of the entire range of clinical skills and professional behaviors, which are indispensable components of learning. The experiences obtained from batches of participants in our context have been instrumental in developing an essential model that fosters both tangible and intangible skills, thereby producing competent doctors.