Effectiveness of the EPA-based ‘Toolbox Family Medicine’ on students’ learning satisfaction: study protocol for a controlled trial

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundFamily practices constitute an important learning environment for medical students. However, teaching situations markedly vary between practices, and students frequently find rotations underwhelming. Especially, students’ active participation in patient care varies profoundly, although it has a significant impact on students’ interest in primary care careers. To standardize and improve learning situations in practices, we developed the so-called ‘Toolbox Family Medicine (TFM)’ using the concept of entrustable professional activities. It provides standardized learning content appropriate for students’ levels and allows teaching adaptable to actual practice conditions.MethodsUsing a controlled trial with a waiting list control arm, we will evaluate the effectiveness of the toolbox on students’ learning satisfaction. A total of 94 students will be allocated 1:1 to intervention and control practices. The teaching concept ‘Toolbox Family Medicine (TFM)’ comprises a didactic workshop for supervising physicians and a toolbox with practice-specific tasks for medical students. The primary outcome is students’ overall satisfaction with their learning progress after the rotation. Secondary outcomes include the kind and number of tasks performed, the entrusted level per task, the feasibility of implementing the toolbox in actual practice settings, and students’ motivation to pursue a career in primary care.DiscussionWe assume an improvement in learning satisfaction with the intervention. The study will begin with the next practice rotations.Administrative information