Effectiveness of Morning Report Sessions of Cardiology Wards at Teaching Hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (2012-2013)

Introduction: Morning report is an important teaching method for interns and externs. Achieving the objectives of morning report affects future performance. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze the effectiveness of morning reports.

Methods: Viewpoints of 85 interns and externs at the cardiology wards of teaching hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in the academic year of 2012-2013 were investigated. The instrument for data collection was a researcher-made questionnaire. Data were analyzed by chisquare and independent t-test. Effectiveness was defined as the rate of the achievement of the goals of morning reports based on dividing the total score of the questionnaire (54 scores) into three parts of 0-17 (poor effectiveness), 18-36 (moderate effectiveness) and 37-54 (good effectiveness).

Results: The effectiveness of morning report sessions without the presence of residents was reported as moderate in hospital A, and the effectiveness of morning report sessions with the presence of residents in hospital B was reported as moderate in the opinion of interns and poor in the view of externs. There was no significant difference between the viewpoints of interns in hospitals A and B with regard to the effectiveness of morning report sessions (p=0.169).

Conclusion: Results indicate that the higher academic level of subjects discussed in morning reports with presence of residents caused a reduction in the participation rate of interns and externs, thereby decreasing their learning and satisfaction. However, without the presence of residents, the students’ feelings of fear and anxiety were reduced and their satisfaction was heightened.