Yanju He,1,* Song Wen,1,* Mingyue Zhou,2 Xiucai Li,1 Min Gong,1 Ligang Zhou1,3 1Department of Endocrinology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201399, People’s Republic of China; 2Helen Driller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; 3Shanghai Key Laboratory of Vascular Lesions Regulation and Remodeling, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201399, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Ligang Zhou, Department of Endocrinology, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201399, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8613611927616, Email zhouligang@yahoo.comBackground: The mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) is an excellent tool for assessing the clinical abilities of medical students in intense clinical practice. In this study, the Mini-CEX was adapted to professional questionnaires for Diabetes Mellitus (DM), and examined in medical students completing their clerkship rotation in the department of endocrinology.Methods: From January 2021 to January 2022, all rotating medical students at Shanghai Pudong Hospital completed two mini-CEX exams before and following their rotation under the supervision and guidance of six tutors. The mini-CEX form was modified in this study primarily for inpatient management based on our clinical experience and updated DM guidelines of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), and the Chinese Diabetes Society (CDS). Each component of the mini-CEX assessment, including medical interviews, physical examination, clinical judgment, clinical management, and overall clinical competence was evaluated using a nine-item questionnaire.Results: Our findings revealed that the second-round performance on the assessments significantly improved, as indicated by higher scores on each component. The Pearson association analysis revealed that the feedback time of the first examination was markedly associated with improved overall scores (r= 0.391, p< 0.001). However, no correlations were discovered between patient age, gender, disease severity disparity, or the interval between examinations (p> 0.05). Additional regression analysis revealed that the feedback time during the initial examination was the most significant contributor to the increased overall scores (β=0.391, p< 0.001).Conclusion: This newly designed mini-CEX form based on current ADA and EASD guidelines may assist trainees in more effectively diagnosing and managing DM in inpatients, particularly those with macrovascular, microvascular, or peripheral nerve neuropathy. This study aims to assess the efficacy of administering a modified mini-CEX form to rotating trainees participating in an endocrine clerkship.Keywords: mini-clinical evaluation exercise, diabetes, medical student, feedback time
