Augmenting learning and professional growth through peer feedback in medical training: A narrative review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47203/IJCH.2026.v38i02.005Keywords:
Peer feedback, Assessment, Collaborative, Medical educationAbstract
As a part of medical training, students are expected to master many theoretical and practical subject-specific competencies. The role of peer-led initiatives in medical education has been well documented in the literature in aiding students to attain intended learning objectives. The purpose of the current review is to explore the benefits of peer feedback, enumerate methods for delivering peer feedback, identify the potential challenges, and propose strategies to overcome them. A thorough and detailed search related to the topic was carried out in the PubMed search engine and relevant published literature, published between 2015-2024, targeting peer feedback in the field of medical education were included in the review. A total of 23 articles were included in the present review, and keywords used in the search include peer feedback, students, learning, teaching, and medical education in the title alone only. Peer feedback is a specific type of constructive critique provided by individuals of similar status or experience to each other. It is a reciprocal process where everyone helps each other in supporting their growth, improving their self-awareness, and overall professional development. In conclusion, peer feedback is an effective approach to facilitate learning and promote professional growth among medical students. Even though concerns have been raised about its implementation, the need of the hour is to integrate peer feedback into medical education as it can create a supportive system for medical students during their training period.
Downloads
References
Zhang N. Incorporating a growth mindset model into medical education and enhancing the complex problem-solving abilities and mental resilience of medical students and residents. Cureus 2024;16:e67294.
Aron DC. Developing a complex systems perspective for medical education to facilitate the integration of basic science and clinical medicine. J Eval Clin Pract 2017;23:460-6.
Kuchynska IO, Palamar BI, Ilashchuk TO, Bobkovych KO, Davydova NV, Polishchuk SV. Innovative and interactive teaching methods as a means of optimizing the educational process of higher medical education. Wiad Lek 2019;72:2149-54.
Bantounou MA, Kumar N. Peer-led versus conventional teacher-led methodological research education sessions: An initiative to improve medical education research teaching. Med Sci Educ 2023;33:935-43.
Allikmets S, Vink JP. The benefits of peer-led teaching in medical education. Adv Med Educ Pract 2016;7:329-30.
Lerchenfeldt S, Mi M, Eng M. The utilization of peer feedback during collaborative learning in undergraduate medical education: A systematic review. BMC Med Educ 2019;19:321.
Lal MM. Peer feedback: A tool for growth. J Nurs Adm 2020;50:3-4.
Rosenthal MA, Sharpe BA, Haber LA. Using peer feedback to promote clinical excellence in hospital medicine. J Gen Intern Med 2020;35:3644-9.
Bellhäuser H, Liborius P, Schmitz B. Fostering self-regulated learning in online environments: positive effects of a web-based training with peer feedback on learning behavior. Front Psychol 2022;13:813381.
Abraham R, Singaram VS. Self and peer feedback engagement and receptivity among medical students with varied academic performance in the clinical skills laboratory. BMC Med Educ 2024;24:1065.
Yoong SQ, Wang W, Chao FFT, Dong Y, Goh SH, Chan YS, et al. Using peer feedback to enhance nursing students' reflective abilities, clinical competencies, and sense of empowerment: A mixed-methods study. Nurse Educ Pract 2023;69:103623.
Krause F, Schmalz G, Haak R, Rockenbauch K. The impact of expert- and peer feedback on communication skills of undergraduate dental students - A single-blinded, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Patient Educ Couns 2017;100:2275-82.
Zhang J, Kuusisto E, Nokelainen P, Tirri K. Peer feedback reflects the mindset and academic motivation of learners. Front Psychol 2020;11:1701.
Bird EC, Osheroff N, Pettepher CC, Cutrer WB, Carnahan RH. Using small case-based learning groups as a setting for teaching medical students how to provide and receive peer feedback. Med Sci Educ 2017;27:759-65.
Carter SC, Chiang A, Shah G, Kwan L, Montgomery JS, Karam A, et al. Video-based peer feedback through social networking for robotic surgery simulation: A multicenter randomized controlled trial. Ann Surg 2015;261:870-5.
Wong BSH, Shorey S. Nursing students' experiences and perception of peer feedback: A qualitative systematic review. Nurse Educ Today 2022;116:105469.
Kulkarni S, Prabhu S, Lakhan T. The effect of multi-source feedback on core competencies of pediatric residents. Indian Pediatr 2022;59:125-8.
Farid H, Bain P, Huang G. A scoping review of peer mentoring in medicine. Clin Teach 2022;19:e13512.
Daou D, Sabra R, Zgheib NK. Factors that determine the perceived effectiveness of peer feedback in collaborative learning: A mixed methods design. Med Sci Educ 2020;30:1145-56.
Tornwall J, McGaughy M, Schubert C. Peer review: Factors that motivate students to provide supportive peer feedback. Nurse Educ 2022;47:114-9.
Raski B, Eissner A, Gummersbach E, Wilm S, Hempel L, Dederichs M, et al. Implementation of online peer feedback for student self-reflection - First steps on the development of a feedback culture at a medical faculty. GMS J Med Educ 2019;36:Doc42.
Sheahan G, Reznick R, Klinger D, Flynn L, Zevin B. Comparison of faculty versus structured peer-feedback for acquisitions of basic and intermediate-level surgical skills. Am J Surg 2019;217:214-21.
Joyce J, Cantillon P, Geoghegan R. Peer feedback in graduate training: A phenomenological investigation of possibilities. Med Teach 2022;44:1362-7.
Kistler EA, Chiappa V, Chang Y, Baggett M. Evaluating the SPIKES Model for improving peer-to-peer feedback among internal medicine residents: A randomized controlled trial. J Gen Intern Med 2021;36:3410-6.
Uthraraj NS, Charles NM, Garcia SM, Maatough A, Anazor F, Krishnamurthy S, et al. Assessment of virtual peer learning by peer feedback: A pilot project. Cureus 2022;14:e30596.
Ho K, Yao C, Novak Lauscher H, Koehler BE, Shojania K, Jamal S, et al. Remote assessment via video evaluation (RAVVE): A pilot study to trial video-enabled peer feedback on clinical performance. BMC Med Educ 2019;19:466.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Saurabh Shrivastava, Prateek Bobhate, Nilesh Agrawal

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.