Objective:

To examine the effectiveness of Halsted’s traditional “see one, do one, teach one” method compared to Peyton’s Four-Step Approach in a simulated lumbar puncture (sLP) workshop when led by either a student or faculty facilitator.

Background:

Previous studies have indicated that Peyton’s approach has produced better acquisition of relatively simple clinical procedures when compared to Halsted’s traditional method. Additionally, student facilitators have been shown to be equally as effective as faculty facilitators. It remains unclear whether these findings persist when teaching students more complex procedures, such as simulated lumbar punctures.

Design/Methods:

Thirty-five first-year medical students (62.9% female) were randomized to one of four groups: 1) Student-led, traditional method (ST), 2) Student-led, Peyton’s (SP), 3) Faculty-led, traditional (FT), or 4) Faculty-led, Peyton’s (FP). Groups had a participant:teacher ratio of 2:1. Participants were taught how to perform a sLP based on the specific teaching method before practicing one sLP. Competence during independent sLP attempts was assessed using binary checklists, and student confidence was assessed using pre- and post-workshop surveys. Independent t-test analysis was performed.

Results:

Among student-led groups and faculty-led groups, teaching method did not significantly impact accuracy scores (p=0.292, Cohen’s d=0.517; p=0.265, Cohen’s d=0.587, respectively). Among traditional method groups and Peyton’s method groups, facilitator type did not significantly impact accuracy scores (p=0.802, Cohen’s d=0.119; p=0.808, Cohen’s d=0.128, respectively). Neither instruction method nor facilitator type significantly impacted student confidence when comparing self-reported pre- and post-workshop levels.

Conclusions:

Contrary to prior research, we found Halsted’s traditional “see one, do one, teach one” method equally effective to Peyton’s Four-Step Approach for teaching sLP workshops. Congruent with prior research, we found that student facilitators are equally effective as faculty facilitators when teaching sLP workshops.