Barriers to feedback in undergraduate medical education. Male students' perspective in Central Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVE: To explore the views of undergraduate medical students regarding the presence and sources of barriers to effective feedback in their setting.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine, Department of Medical Education, King Saud bin Abdul-Aziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from April to June 2010. A self-administered questionnaire was used to explore the objectives of the study.

RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-six male undergraduate medical students participated in this study. Approximately 45% indicated presence of barriers to effective feedback. These include: absence of a clear system of feedback; inadequate skills of teachers for provision-effective feedback; and to a lesser extent, students' fear of insult due to feedback. Most participants showed their interest and readiness to receive more professional feedback in the future.

CONCLUSION: This study has showed the presence of barriers as perceived by medical students, which could significantly minimize utilization of feedback in medical education. The reported barriers should be addressed to utilize the vital role of feedback in the learning process of undergraduate medical students.