Table 4 Examples of the feedback on DREEM and MCPI for evaluating the clinical learning environment

DREEM

Positive

“DREEM survey is handiest and most informative”

“DREEM works well”

“DREEM is better than MCPI”

Negative

“Too many questions in this section”

“The questionnaire does not differentiate between the ward round tutors and the teaching tutors.”

“Difficult to answer some of the questions relating to clinical tutors/teaching as the statements are broad and are not always correct for all tutors/teaching sessions.”

“I don’t find all the questions asked on the DREEM survey relevant to the areas of the course that need improvement.”

“I prefer the MCPI. I think the DREEM is good, but the statements are more vague and not always applicable to personal circumstances.”

MCPI

Positive

“I think the questions are very well worded to tease our objective vs subjective problems on the side of the student. It encourages you to express your opinions.”

“Ability to give feedback to specific segments, much much shorter than DREEM thus less off-putting for students…”

“I liked the breakdown and structure and room for comments”

Negative

“This questionnaire addresses questions that you can’t necessarily talk about in DREEM. However I found the wording of the questions very difficult”

“Perhaps a section on assessment of knowledge (3 separate segments of this questionnaire relate to clinical skills but none on acquisition of relevant information)”

“It is useful in the sense that feedback is useful for the school, but not really a useful reflective process for me”

General

“They are very different surveys. They complement each other. One is not superior to the other, as they ask different questions.”