Child Health Essential Skills Stations (CHESS): Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of an Undergraduate Child Health Clinical Skills Course

Abstract

Background: Training medical students to competently apply the clinical skills they will need as qualified doctors proves an ongoing challenge for clinical educators. During undergraduate study, students spend less time with pediatric patients than adult patients, making it more difficult to gain confidence working with this patient group. There is currently myriad evidence for a “skills lab” approach to clinical skills teaching, and this has taken on greater importance for teaching procedures during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Therefore, a standardized course for child health clinical skills was designed and implemented to run in a skills lab setting. This study describes a new course training five clinical skills important in child health. The course incorporates small group teaching, simulated practice of skills, and specific feedback from tutors, all within a skills lab setting. Evaluations were carried out over approximately one academic year, with a total of 174 participants from a single United Kingdom medical school. Objectives: This study aimed to implement and evaluate a standardized undergraduate clinical skills course for child health and improve students’ confidence in performing child health clinical skills. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative data were collected, examining students’ self-reported confidence (pre- and post-course), along with free-text course evaluations. A paired t-test was used to calculate the mean difference in students’ pre- and post-course confidence scores. Qualitative evaluations were analyzed for themes using framework analysis. Results: The students had greater confidence in all measured learning outcomes following the course. Qualitative data, examined using framework analysis, suggested that the course was valued by students, who felt it was relevant to their future practice. Numerous written comments suggested particular content and teaching methods that were strengths of the course, including practical elements, small group teaching, and feedback from tutors. Conclusions: Implementing a child health clinical skills course in a skills lab setting is feasible and valued by students. The course increased the self-reported confidence of the studied cohort and might therefore support them in practicing these skills with actual patients. Further studies are required to determine whether these effects demonstrate longevity and whether they translate to increased competence in performing the taught skills.