Evaluating the performance of the Minute Feedback System: A web-based feedback tool for medical students

Background Medical students often report dissatisfaction with the feedback they receive on their clerkships. This study evaluates the performance of the Minute Feedback System (MFS), a web-based tool designed to facilitate medical student acquisition of same day written feedback from surgery residents and faculty. Methods System-generated data, targeted surveys, and end of clerkship questionnaires were used to evaluate MFS performance over a one-year period. Results 170 students made 3190 feedback requests and received 1978 responses (62% response rate). Students felt the system was easy to use (90%), provided useful feedback (74%), and allowed them to obtain more feedback than they would have in its absence (81%). Concerns were raised regarding the quality of electronic feedback and whether the data generated would be used for summative assessment. Conclusions The MFS encourages same-day assessment and increases documented medical student feedback. Further development is required to improve feedback quality, response rates, and feedback application.