Assessment of the Educational Environment of Plastic Surgery Training Programs in Iran using the PHEEM Questionnaire: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Clinical educational environments play a substantial role in the teaching of medical residents and fellows. In order to improve the quality of clinical education, its status should be evaluated. Therefore, we aimed to inquire about the educational environment of Plastic Surgery fellows in two teaching hospitals in Tehran, Iran using the Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM).Method: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, Plastic Surgery fellows studying in two teaching hospitals in Tehran, Iran, in 2022 were included. The Persian version of the PHEEM questionnaire was applied for assessing the clinical educational environment. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software version 22.Results: Twenty six Plastic Surgery fellows were studied, 15.4% of whom were women (n=4) and 84.6% were men (n=22). The mean total score of the PHEEM questionnaire was 89.68 +/- 26.02. The highest mean score was in the teaching dimension (35.08), while the lowest mean score was in the social support dimension (25.42).Conclusion: Most dissatisfaction among Plastic Surgery fellows were in the field of social support. It is necessary to adopt proper educational policies to improve the supportive resources for Plastic Surgery fellows.