Self-confidence of medical students in performing clinical skills acquired during their surgical rotation assessing clinical skills education in Kuwait

To assess the self-confidence of clinical years' medical students in performing clinical skills/ procedures. A cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2011 at the Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Center, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait. A questionnaire was used to collect data from students who had completed their surgical rotation of their first clinical year. The students reported their level of self-confidence in performing specific skills/procedures related to that rotation. Data were presented using frequencies and percentages. A total score of confidence was calculated for each student. The Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to assess the association between the students' sociodemographic characteristics and confidence score. Of the 122 students invited to participate in the study, only 15 [12.3%] declined to comply. Most students reported high confidence level [>75%] in performing 7 of the 13 history taking/physical examination skills, and 2 of the 39 diagnostic/ treatment procedure skills. The highest confidence level was in performing abdominal examination, while the lowest level was in care of Jackson-Pratt drain site and emptying the drain bulb. The total confidence score was significantly higher among males [p=0.021], and students with higher monthly income [p=0.002]. Medical students appeared to have poor self-confidence in performing clinical skills/ procedures. Curriculum planners should explore potential reasons, and methods for the improvement of confidence level among medical students in performing skills/procedures they were expected to learn during their surgical rotation