The Flipped Classroom as a Pedagogical Tool for Leadership Development in Postgraduate Medical Education

Following a needs assessment among residents, a 10-module leadership curriculum was developed that included health care law and medical errors. An educational intervention using the flipped classroom model (FCM) was developed and we investigated (1) its effectiveness as a teaching method, and (2) the degree of knowledge acquisition of the content of the module. Thirty-four residents were selected using convenience sampling and were divided into an intervention group (n = 10) and a control group (n = 24). The residents in the intervention group received reading materials and assignments in preparation for two reflective sessions. The control group only received reading material. Multiple-choice questionnaires were used to measure knowledge acquisition. Qualitative interviews were used to assess the perceived effectiveness of the FCM. Eight residents from the intervention group and 10 from the control group were used for final analysis. A significant improvement was observed in acquired knowledge of health care law and medical errors in the intervention group and the FCM was perceived to be effective in teaching health care law and medical errors. The FCM was perceived to facilitate residents' knowledge acquisition and stimulate active learning. Interventions with FCM positively influence residents' performance and should play more structural roles in postgraduate medical education.