Article Gold Open Access 2025

Perceptions of family medicine residents regarding peer-to-peer feedback during the learning of clinical examination skills

Family Medicine and Primary Care Review
Journal · Vol. 27 · Issue 2 · pp. 178-183
Abstract

Background. Peer-to-peer feedback is crucial in the development of clinical abilities. However, owing to the differences in cultural backdrop, peer-to-peer feedback can be difficult to embrace and follow in a positive manner in Saudi Arabia. Objectives. The purpose of this study is to analyze family residents’ perceptions of peer-to-peer feedback on clinical examination skills. Material and methods. This descriptive cross-sectional quantitative and qualitative study was done in 2023 at the Ministry of Health’s Postgraduate Academy of Family Medicine in Alhasa, Saudi Arabia. 83 family medicine residents were invited, and 66 consented to participate. Residents’ perceptions were analyzed using a well-established and validated questionnaire. Results. The results indicate that most of the residents expressed a positive attitude toward peer-to-peer feedback as a valuable learning activity for skill improvement and addressing deficiencies. Nevertheless, some concerns were raised, including feelings of embarrassment, potential bias, personal judgments, a lack of medical knowledge among peers, and varying experiences with feedback delivery. In response to these concerns, residents suggested several improvements for peer feedback, such as conducting regular, supervised, and anonymous feedback sessions and organizing preplanned sessions on specific subjects before the feedback sessions. Conclusions. This study highlights the positive reception of peer feedback among family medicine (FM) residents, emphasizing its role in professional development and addressing weaknesses. Our findings reveal areas for improvement in FM residency programs, including creating a supportive feedback environment and enhancing feedback quality through training and valid instruments. © 2025, Polish Society of Family Medicine. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Saudi Arabia Family Practice internship and residency

Index Keywords

learning adult cross-sectional study female human male medical education Article curriculum qualitative research Saudi Arabia professional development human experiment normal human feedback system knowledge resident attitude perception participation postgraduate student quantitative analysis age Social media clinical examination embarrassment family medicine
Author Affiliations
Department of Family & Community Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Ash Sharqiyah, Saudi Arabia
Postgraduate Training Centre for Family Medicine, Ministry of Health Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Riyad, Saudi Arabia
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
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