One-Minute Preceptor to improve bedside teaching

One-Minute Preceptor to Improve Bedside Teaching: a Cluster Randomized Trial in Residents

This project will test whether training resident preceptors in the One-Minute Preceptor method helps fourth-year medical students learn better during bedside teaching.

Quick facts

• Phase: Not applicable
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 450 (estimated)
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Academic / other)
• Locations: 1 site (Can Tho, Province)
• Trial ID: NCT07305077 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This cluster-randomized study assigns 30 resident preceptors at Can Tho Children Hospital to either One-Minute Preceptor (OMP) training or usual teaching, with 15 clusters per arm. Each preceptor will supervise about 15 fourth-year medical students and student-level outcomes will be measured using observed mini-CEX assessments with outcome assessors blinded. Adequate OMP exposure is predefined as at least two structured OMP feedback encounters of five minutes or more delivered across two separate weeks, and fidelity will be monitored. The primary analysis compares student clinical performance between the OMP and control arms accounting for cluster randomization.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Fourth-year medical students at Can Tho Children Hospital assigned to participating resident-led bedside teaching groups who expect to remain on the rotation for 8–12 weeks and can provide informed consent.

Not a fit: Students with formal OMP exposure within the past six months, those who do not receive at least two OMP feedback encounters, or those who leave the rotation early are unlikely to benefit.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, improved bedside teaching could lead to better clinical examination and decision-making by future doctors, which may improve patient care and safety.

How similar studies have performed: One-Minute Preceptor interventions have improved teaching efficiency and learner satisfaction in prior studies, though evidence for consistent gains in objective clinical performance is mixed.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* A. Student participants (outcome level):

Aged ≥18 years at enrollment.

Enrolled Year 4-medical students assigned to one of the participating preceptor-led bedside teaching groups during the study period.

Expected to attend the rotation for 8-12 weeks (or the site's standard rotation length).

Able to provide informed consent (and agree to be observed/assessed via mini-CEX).

\- B. Preceptor clusters (randomized units):

Resident physicians serving as bedside teaching preceptors in participating departments.

Will supervise approximately 15 students during the study period.

Agree not to cross over to teach students in the opposite trial arm during the trial period.

Able to attend OMP training and permit fidelity observation (checklist) if allocated to the intervention.

Exclusion Criteria:

* A. Student participants:

Prior exposure to formal OMP-based teaching within the past 6 months in the same department.

Not expected to remain on the rotation long enough to be assessed (e.g., planned absence \>2 weeks or early withdrawal).

Declines or withdraws informed consent.

Severe communication barrier that precludes valid assessment (e.g., language barrier without support).

\- B. Preceptor clusters:

Formal OMP training within the past 12 months (to avoid contamination), or role as an OMP trainer for other faculty during the study period.

Planned cross-coverage that would result in teaching students from both arms during the trial period.

Anticipated extended leave making fidelity and outcome assessments infeasible.

Where this trial is running

Can Tho, Province

• Can Tho Children Hospital — Can Tho, Province, Vietnam (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Quang Chi Ngo, Master Degree

Conditions Clinical Teaching; Bedside Teaching; Medical Education