مجله ایرانی آموزش در علوم پزشکی (Apr 2022)
A review of shadowing in medical sciences education
Abstract
Introduction: Learning through observation in different professions such as medicine has a long history. One of the methods of observation in medical education is "shadowing". In doctor shadowing, the student or intern observes the doctor during one's daily medical work to get a good understanding of the work. Given that we found no article for this method in the educational programs of medical sciences in Iran, this study endeavors to conduct a line of research to introduce shadowing, its types and methods as well as applications of shadowing in medical sciences. Methods: This narrative study was conducted by searching in engines and databases such as Pubmed, web of science, google scholar and using the mixture of keywords "shadowing, shadower, patient shadowing, nurse shadowing, physician/doctor shadowing" and "medical education, health education, education" to find articles about shadowing in medical sciences. The articles from 2001 to 2021 were collected. Then the articles that fit the purpose of the research were selected and analyzed. Results: The results have been collected in this article separately presented by definition of shadowing, its importance, types of shadowing, programs implemented in the world, and advantages and disadvantages of shadowing. According to the results, shadowing is a suitable method for training in medical sciences, which has many benefits for students, patients, personnel and the health system. Conclusion: Shadowing is a good way to form a professional identity in students and to teach professional ethics, teamwork, communication skills, so on; however, in official educational programs in Iran, the absence of this educational method is tangible. It is hoped that in the future, research on the implementation of shadowing in different clinical fields such as medicine and nursing, as well as its applications, will be published in Iran.
