qUIkcoach

Name: qUIkcoach
Author: University of Iowa

University of Iowa

EVALUATED

Assessed for usability and quality

For:Clinicians & Healthcare Professionals

Free

Download on the App Store

App Summary

qUIkcoach is a mobile app for medical residents and faculty that facilitates direct observation and the capture of just-in-time, two-way formative feedback on clinical skills. An evaluation study (N=71) found that most faculty comments were behaviorally specific (83%), and the majority of residents (86%) and faculty (90%) reported the app promoted an educational interaction. The authors conclude the app facilitates the efficient completion of workplace-based assessments and captures high-quality, bidirectional feedback in a clinical training environment.

App Screenshots

Detailed Description

Functionality & Mechanism

The qUIkcoach mobile application facilitates the direct observation and formative assessment of clinical skills in workplace settings. Developed for graduate medical education, the system enables learners (residents) to initiate assessments based on Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). The interface then captures just-in-time, bidirectional feedback, allowing faculty to provide narrative comments on performance and residents to comment on the value of the feedback received. This process is designed to promote structured, actionable educational interactions.

Evidence & Research Context

An evaluation study in an internal medicine residency program (N=71 participants) examined the application's utility for EPA-based formative assessment.
The system demonstrated a high completion rate, with 87% of initiated assessments (117 of 134) fully executed by both residents and faculty.
Faculty feedback was robust, with 97% of completed assessments including narrative comments, 83% of which were behaviorally specific and 71% contained an actionable item.
The platform was positively received, with 86% of residents and 90% of faculty reporting that the application promoted a valuable educational interaction.

Intended Use & Scope

This application is designed for medical educators, faculty, and trainees in clinical learning environments. Its primary utility is to structure and document just-in-time formative coaching and direct observation. The system is not intended for summative evaluation or high-stakes assessment and does not replace comprehensive performance reviews or institutional competency requirements.

Studies & Publications

1 publication

Peer-reviewed research associated with this app.

Usability Study

Mobile Application to Improve Just-in-Time 2-Way Formative Feedback in Graduate Medical Education

Rowat et al. (2024) · Journal of Graduate Medical Education

Users found the feedback app easy to use, with 87% completing evaluations and most reporting it improved educational interactions.

Background An easy-to-use application to facilitate direct observation and allow for 2-way feedback between residents and faculty is needed. Objective To develop a mobile-based application (app) with the goals of (1) providing just-in-time feedback to residents; (2) improving timeliness of feedback by faculty; and (3) allowing residents to comment on the value of faculty feedback. Methods Fifty-one of 69 (74%) internal medicine (IM) residents and 20 of 25 (80%) IM core faculty participated in the study from July 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021. An iOS app was designed by authors with expertise in medical education and application development to capture entrustable professional activities (EPAs)-based feedback (eg, informed consent) based on direct observation of residents' skills in the workplace. App utilization and narrative feedback characteristics of faculty comments were examined by exporting the data from the database server. The end user satisfaction was examined using a survey instrument. Results Eighty-seven percent of assessments (117 of 134) initiated were fully completed by residents and faculty. Faculty narrative comments were noted in 97% (114 of 117) of completed assessments and 64% (75 of 117) of residents' feedback to the faculty contained narrative comments. Eighty-three percent (97 of 117) of comments were behaviorally specific and 71% (83 of 117) contained an actionable item. Eighty-six percent (18 of 21) of residents and 90% (9 of 10) of core faculty stated that this application promoted an educational interaction between them. Conclusions This app facilitates the efficient completion of EPA-based formative assessments and captures bidirectional feedback in the workplace setting.

In the Media

qUIkcoach: Homegrown app offers trainees and faculty real-time 360-degree feedback on clinical encounters

The Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa developed qUIkcoach to provide immediate, targeted feedback after clinical encounters, addressing the challenge of timely resident training feedback. "This user-friendly tool ensures that valuable teaching moments don't slip away," said Manish Suneja, MD, Vice Chair for Education and Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program. The app creates a bidirectional feedback system where trainees can also evaluate the quality of feedback they receive, enabling faculty to review their effectiveness as evaluators.

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