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.