The Morning Report Practice and Its Contribution to Education of Internal Medicine Residents: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Survey in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Morning Report (MR) is a ubiquitous traditional educational activity in internal medicine residency training. It is under-researched; hence, this study was conducted. It aimed to examine the practice of MR by internal medicine residents, their motivation to engage with it, and their perception of its contribution to education. METHODS: This was a multi-center cross-sectional study. The data was collected using an online self-administered 12-item questionnaire that covered MR practice, respondents’ motivation for participation, MR contribution to education, and its impact on the practice of evidence-based medicine and quality improvement and patient safety. RESULTS: One hundred seventy residents returned the online questionnaire (54.7%). The respondents’ gender and year of training were balanced (P > 0.05). The most common MR frequency and duration were five days per week (85.4%) and 45–60 minutes (47.1%), respectively. The most common format was handover combined with an emergency long case presentation (55.8%), and consultants were the most common facilitators (79.7%). The respondents’ motivation to engage with MR was predominantly intermediate. The top reasons for attending and not attending MR were mandatory attendance and embarrassing questions, respectively. The perceived MR contribution to residents’ different roles development was predominantly intermediate; however, it was predominantly very low/low (42%) for overall education. The perceived MR impact on the practice of EBM and QIPS were both predominantly intermediate. CONCLUSION: MR was found to be a commonly practiced educational activity in internal medicine residency training programs in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. The case discussion was the core format for education. The respondents’ motivation to participate in MR and their perception of its contribution to education was predominantly intermediate. To our best knowledge, this is the first study in Saudi Arabia that examined MR. We hope its findings will be taken for further MR studies and actions for improvement.