Educational Environment Assessment at Outpatient Clinics in Teaching Hospitals of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran, from Resident's Perspective Based on the ACLEEM Questionnaire

Outpatient educational environments are used for the teaching of a broad range of medical disciplines. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to assess these environments with valid and reliable tools. The Ambulatory Care Learning Education Environment Measure (ACLEEM) can be used for this purpose. The objective of this study was to assess the educational environment at outpatient clinics in teaching hospitals of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.

This descriptive-analytical study which was cross-sectional in nature was conducted in Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2013-14. The study population, based on census sampling, consisted of 70 residents specializing in internal, gynecological, pediatric, and surgical disciplines. The data collection tool was a valid and reliable questionnaire consisting of 2 sections, demographic questions and 50 questions in 8 domains. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and descriptive tests (frequency, mean, and standard deviation) and analytical tests (ANOVA and t-test).

The total score of the questionnaire was 62.90 which showed the partially desirable status of the outpatient educational environment in the studied population. In terms of the total scores for each domain, the domains of clinical teacher competence (14.91 ± 2.99), clinical activity and patient care (12.85 ± 2.78), and time allocation for nonclinical activities (8.94 ± 2.93) obtained the highest scores, respectively. There was no significant relationship between sex, age, and educational year and mean score of each domain (P > 0.05). However, this relationship was significant for the field of study variable (P < 0.05). The highest mean score was related to gynecology residents (65.68 ± 5.7) and the lowest mean score was related to surgery residents (60.60 ± 5.9).

The findings showed that the resident's perspective of the outpatient environment is not satisfactory. Therefore, it is expected that the related authorities provide a favorable and conducive environment for teaching and learning through planning.