Objective: Teachers of various departments are in charge of medical interview training classes with the participation of simulated patients. However, it is not clear whether there are differences in feedback (FB) among teachers. The objective was to examine differences in FB among teachers, investigate effective FB methods, and evaluate the effect of an FB manual.
Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey of students to assess their evaluation of FB by teachers. In the meantime, we transcribed and analyzed teachers' FB on the basis of video recordings. We created a teacher's manual for FB on the basis of these results. We conducted a similar survey the following year.
Results: The evaluations from students included many positive opinions, such as "we heard from the teachers about their clinical experiences" . Analysis of the videos showed significant differences in the contents of FB among groups. The performance of the interview strongly influenced the content of the FB. Variations in each group tended to be reduced the following year.
Conclusions: 1) There were significant differences in FB among teachers. 2) FB that includes the clinical experiences of the teacher and discussion among students may enhance the learning effect. 3) Introduction of the manual increased the relevance of FB.