Evaluation of the Clinical Educational Environment from the Perspective of Residents at Sari Imam Khomeini Hospital Using the DREEM Inventory

Background and purpose: Acquiring basic skills, and ultimately becoming a professional in medicine depends on the quality and extent of training in clinical environments. Since students are the recipients of educational services and serve as valuable sources for identifying issues in clinical education, their perspectives can be consulted to assess the quality of such training. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate residents’ perceptions of the educational environment at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sari. Materials and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 on 135 residents of Imam Khomeini Hospital using a census sampling method. Data collection tools included a demographic characteristics questionnaire and the standard DREEM inventory, which uses a Likert scale ranging from completely agree to completely disagree. To analyze the data, statistical tests such as the t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used. All analyses were performed using SPSS version 21 statistical software. Results: In this study, 135 residents completed the questionnaire, including 84 females (62.2%) and 51 males (37.8%). The results showed that four variables: the total score, students’ perception of learning, students’ perception of the educational atmosphere, and students’ perception of professors, followed a normal distribution, while two variables, students’ academic self-perception score and students’ social self-perception score, did not follow a normal distribution (P < 0.05). Although the mean scores of the questionnaire and its subscales were higher among women than men, no statistically significant difference was observed between the sexes. The results of the correlation analysis also showed a statistically significant and strong positive correlation among the subscale scores. Conclusion: Residents at the university assessed the current clinical education environment as being of moderate quality. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions, particularly workshops focused on effective teaching and learning strategies, as well as the creation of supportive clinical settings where trainees can gain hands-on experience in a secure and stress-free atmosphere.