Abstract
BACKGROUND: Osler taught doctors to "have no teaching without a patient for a text, and the best teaching is that taught by the patient himself". Bedside teaching (BST) facilitates clinical practice of skills, teaches empathy, instils confidence and builds on patient-doctor relationships. However, its use has declined dramatically due to concerns regarding privacy and autonomy. Most of the research in this area concentrates on medical student or academic opinion of BST using survey based methods. This qualitative study aimed to explore the patient's experiences and opinions of BST. METHODS: With ethical approval a qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews which were examined using Thematic Analysis. Patients who had participated in a BST tutorial were invited to participate and gave written consent after discussion with a study researcher. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients were interviewed (obstetrics ante-natal [n = 10], obstetrics post-natal [n = 5] and gynaecology [n = 7]) ranging from ages 24-80 yrs. Four major themes were identified, with 11 sub-themes. The major themes included (i) Professional Mannerisms (ii) Privacy and Personal Wellbeing (iii) Quality of Patient Experience of BST and (iv) Clinical Experience and Learning Importance. The reaction of patients toward teaching at the bedside was altruistic and positive, with importance placed on learning. CONCLUSION: This research supports the concept of patient focused learning, and can reassure faculty that patients largely support its continuation as an integral component in education. Future research aims to extend this assessment to other patient groups with the aim of learning from and improving their experience.