Knowledge transfer in medical education from a teamwork perspective

The factors of knowledge transfer through teamwork in hospitals from developing medical systems have not been thoroughly studied. We explored physicians’ assessment of knowledge sharing in teams in order to better define and understand these factors. We questioned 1615 physicians in 323 clinics, who returned 898 valid questionnaires. The physicians were asked to reflect on their learning experiences, as members in various teams, and on the value of these situations for their overall learning outcomes. We have used principal component analysis and OLS regression to outline the relations between the perceived quality of overall learning outcomes and the learning situations encountered in teamwork. We have obtained a model of teamwork learning, to which stability is central: a constant group of physicians, alternating in teams. The learning opportunities in the clinic include learning from one’s own errors, learning from colleagues (role models), learning from patients, learning from case discussions, learning from clinical report discussions. Some are retained and some others are dropped, based on the physicians’ attitude to them. While learning from one’s own errors is preferred, role models seem to be rather controversial. Physicians’ own judgments and evaluations of learning sources influence team knowledge transfer and its perceived quality.