The Appraisal of Surgical Grand Rounds in a University Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Grand rounds are traditional medical education tools in academic medical centers, but there has been little investigation to evaluate the advantages and usefulness of this ritual academic activity. We analyzed the utility and effectiveness of surgical grand rounds as a teaching modality in a university teaching hospital. All surgical grand rounds, from October 2010 to June 2012 (inclusive) conducted in the department of surgery, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital were analyzed. The evaluation was carried out by a multiple choice (single answer) type questionnaire. Each surgical grand round was assessed independently and attendees were asked to rate each indicator on a 5-point Likert-type scale. A total of 54 weekly surgical grand rounds were carried out, which included 74% local and 26% overseas speakers. The level of speakers varied from a senior faculty member to student and the themes and contents included subject reviews, updates, academic and personal experiences. The attendance and feedback were encouraging and majority of respondents’ disclosed “good” educational, professional and social gains from this educational activity. Surgical grand rounds have been a consistent educational activity of our department for education and teaching of undergraduates, house staff (registrars and postgraduates) and faculty from a university teaching hospital. The overall outcome has been satisfactory. We aim to continue this educational activity and perform regular appraisals to review its benefits and effectiveness for clinical educational.