Autonomía en actividades profesionales confiables luego de la pandemia por COVID-19: perspectivas de residentes y docentes / Autonomy in entrustable professional activities after the COVID-19 pandemic: the perspectives of residents and teachers

Introducción. Las actividades profesionales confiables (APROC) son 13 actividades que los médicos recién graduados deberían poder realizar sin supervisión directa. Nuestro objetivo fue evaluar la percepción de residentes y docentes acerca de la autonomía para realizar las APROC, luego de 2 años del inicio de la pandemia. Materiales y métodos. Estudio de corte transversal, que incluyó residentes de primer año de especialidades clínicas y quirúrgicas, y sus docentes. Se enviaron cuestionarios electrónicos y anónimos. Resultados. Se incluyeron 31 residentes y 20 docentes. La mayoría de los residentes creía que podía realizar en forma autónoma 8 de las 13 APROC. Para la mayoría de los docentes, los residentes requerían supervisión directa para 11 de las 13 actividades. Se observaron diferencias significativas entre la percepción de residentes y docentes en 8 de las 13 APROC. Conclusión. La percepción de autonomía para realizar las APROC al inicio de la residencia fue considerablemente mayor en residentes que en sus docentes.

Introduction. The entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are 13 activities that new medical graduates should be able to perform without direct supervision. Our objective was to assess the perceptions of residents and teachers regarding their autonomy to perform the EPAs 2 years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods. Cross-sectional study of first-year residents of clinical and surgical specialties and their teachers. Electronic, anonymous questionnaires were used. Results. Subjects were 31 residents and 20 teachers. Most residents believed that they were able to perform 8 of the 13 EPAs independently. According to most teachers, residents required direct supervision to perform 11 of the 13 EPAs. Significant differences were observed between residents' and teachers' perceptions in 8 of the 13 EPAs. Conclusion. The perception of autonomy to perform the EPAs in the beginning of the residency program was considerably better among residents than their teachers.

The step-up training model for general practice residents based on entrustable professional activities / 中华全科医师杂志

The top-level design and training system of standardized training for residents has been basically completed in China, and now is gradually transiting to connotation construction and quality improvement, with the emphasis on post competency and quality as the core. There are discrepancies in clinical ability among general practice residents of different categories, so the step-up training mode should be adapted for set up and implement of phased training objectives to achieve the overall goal of training qualified general practitioners. The step-up training based on the framework of entrustable professional activities(EPAs)can quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the competency of general practice residents and continuously track it, so that to ensure the competency of residents. This study has developed assessment item pools of EPAs-based step-up training for general practice residents through literature review and focus group discussion, and proposed implementation plans, and explored the application of EPAs in the step-up training of general practice residents.

Creation of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) in obstetrics and gynecology for medical undergraduate students / Elaboração de Atividades Profissionais Confiáveis (APCs) em ginecologia e obstetrícia para a graduação médica

Abstract: Introduction: This article features "Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs)" in the Obstetrics and Gynecology field designed for medical undergraduates, aiming to support the teaching/learning process. Objective: The aim is for the graduate to be competent to meet the minimum requirements necessary for the student in this field. Method: In this study, EPAs were created based on an international template already in use and validated using the Delphi technique. The structuring of the EPAs was based on the international literature: "Core Entrustable Professional Activities for Entering Residency: Curriculum Developer's Guide" from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The content for the topics of each EPA was based on the publication "The Obstetrics and Gynecology Milestone Project" from the joint action of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG). Results: Thirteen EPAs were created with topics for teaching in that field during undergraduate school. A checklist was created for each EPA, aiming to guide the evaluator and the student regarding the performance of the tasks defined in the EPAs. Conclusion: The EPAs with checklists bring an innovative proposal for Obstetrics and Gynecology teaching in medical graduation since they facilitate and operationalize the learning, the development, and the observation of the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes required for the performance of each topic in the area, thus helping the training of a competent professional. At the end of the medical course, the ability to perform all EPAs identifies a competent graduate in Gynecology and Obstetrics regarding the general practitioner.

Resumo: Introdução: Este artigo traz "Atividades Profissionais Confiáveis" (APCs) na área de ginecologia e obstetrícia elaboradas para a graduação médica a fim de sustentar o processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Objetivo: O objetivo é que o egresso seja competente para atender aos requisitos mínimos necessários ao estudante nesta área. Método: Neste estudo, as APCs foram criadas com base num molde internacional já utilizado e validadas pela técnica Delphi. A estruturação das APCs foi baseada na literatura internacional: "Principais atividades profissionais confiáveis (APCs) para acesso à Residência Médica: Guia para Elaboradores de Currículos" da Associação Americana de Faculdades Médicas (AAMC). O conteúdo dos temas para elaboração de cada APC foi baseado na publicação "Pilares da Obstetrícia e Ginecologia" oriundo da ação conjunta do Conselho de Acreditação de Educação Médica na Graduação (ACGME), Colégio Americano de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia (ACOG) e pelo Conselho Americano de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia (ABOG). Resultados: Foram elaboradas treze APCs com temas para o ensino da referida área durante a graduação. Para cada APC, uma lista de verificação foi elaborada de forma a orientar o avaliador e o estudante quanto à execução das tarefas definidas nas APCs. Conclusão: As APCs com as listas de verificação trazem uma proposta inovadora no ensino da ginecologia e obstetrícia na graduação médica, uma vez que facilitam e operacionalizam o aprendizado, o desenvolvimento e a observação da aquisição dos conhecimentos, habilidades e atitudes exigidos na execução de cada tema na área, auxiliando, assim, a formação de um profissional competente. Ao final do curso de medicina, a capacidade de realização de todas as APCs identifica um egresso competente em ginecologia e obstetrícia naquilo que concerne ao médico generalista.

Planificación de actividades de enseñanza en un currículo integrado: el riesgo de la "desintegración" / Planning activities within an integrated curriculum: the risk of "disintegration"

Introducción: en 2014, tras más de 10 años de comenzada la Carrera de Medicina en el Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires (IUHIBA), en la comunidad educativa se comenzó a plantear la necesidad de realizar un cambio curricular con el objetivo de lograr la enseñanza de habilidades complejas en forma integrada para generar un aprendizaje significativo y un mayor desarrollo de competencias. El cambio curricular comenzó a implementarse en 2018. Propósitos: describir la experiencia de diseño de las actividades de enseñanza en un currículo integrado. Desarrollo: para el diseño de las actividades de cada módulo (de un cuatrimestre de duración) se conformaron grupos planificadores multidisciplinarios. El objetivo principal de la planificación fue que los estudiantes comenzaran a desarrollar las habilidades necesarias para poder llevar adelante las actividades profesionales (EPAs: Entrustable Professional Activities) al final de la carrera. Los escenarios donde transcurren las actividades del Ciclo Inicial son las sesiones de aprendizaje basado en problemas, los laboratorios para el desarrollo de habilidades, las charlas plenarias y la atención primaria orientada a la comunidad. Fueron definidas EPAs para desarrollarse en el Ciclo Inicial, que guiaron la planificación en diálogo con los contenidos seleccionados para el cuatrimestre. Para poder realizar un diseño integrado se estableció la relación de cada actividad con las de los módulos precedentes, retomando y complejizando los contenidos para que el diseño fuera espiralado. Conclusiones: el mayor desafío de esta experiencia radicó en que debimos sumergirnos en un nuevo paradigma. El principal logro como grupo planificador fue hacer propia esta nueva forma de enseñanza: basada en el alumno, en problemas, integrada, espiralada. Evaluaremos los resultados tras su implementación y rediseñaremos las actividades, de ser necesario. (AU)

Introduction: in 2014, after 10 years of the establishment of the School of Medicine at the Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires (IUHIBA), the educational community identified the need to make a curricular change to teach complex skills in an integrated way to generate meaningful learning and further development of skills. The new curriculum was implemented in 2018. Purposes: to describe our experience in designing teaching activities for an integrated curriculum. Development: multidisciplinary planning groups were formed to design the activities of each four-month module. The main objective was for students to develop the skills necessary to carry out professional activities (EPAs: Entrustable Professional Activities) by the time of graduation. The "Initial Cycle" activities took place in four scenarios: (i) problem-based learning; (ii) skills lab (iii) forum discussions; and (iv) communityoriented education. The EPAs that would be acquired in the Initial Cycle were selected. Those EPAs, together with the contents selected for the semester guided the planning groups. To ensure an integrated design, the relationships of each module with the preceding one were established. We adopted a spiral design where we returned to the same topics at a deeper level and with more complexity. Conclusions: the greatest challenge was that this experience involved a paradigm change. Our main achievement was to adopt a new form of teaching that was student and problem based, within an integrated and spiral curriculum. We plan to evaluate the results after implementation and redesign the activities, if necessary. (AU)

Equivalence of entrustable professional activities and context-dependent item sets as summative assessments in undergraduate physical therapy programs

Background@#Summative assessment of student performance should provide information on achievement of program outcomes to support evaluation decisions. Alternative approaches to the traditional assessment systems like the written licensure examinations in Physical Therapy (PT) should be explored to ensure valid measurement of achievement of these terminal outcomes. @*Objective@#The study aimed at establishing equivalence of two summative assessments new to PT in measuring achievement of the PT outcomes: work-based assessment using Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) and knowledge-based assessment using Context-Dependent Item Sets (CDIS). @*Methodology@#Thirty-two newly graduated PT's underwent a one-week EPA assessment and took a 102-item CDIS test (based on 14 clinical vignettes). Qualitative data from blueprint review, group face-to-face interviews with participants and assessors, and field notes from observations, and quantitative data from EPA entrustment decisions and CDIS scores were utilized to ascertain their comparability in terms of Purpose, Administration, Quality and Decisions. This was used to determine the extent of equivalence of the two assessments. @*Results@#Review of both blueprints show alignment with PT outcomes, with integrative content motivating participants towards professional development. Administration were equally acceptable to users, though EPA had more practice opportunities with a longer assessment time. Entrustment decisions in EPA had a high inter-rater reliability, while CDIS had low reliability, with most items having poor discriminative power. Decisions of “pass” or “fail” had good concordance when high prevalence indices were considered. @*Conclusion@#There is high extent of equivalence in purpose of EPA and CDIS but are not equivalent in terms of administration. There is moderate equivalence in quality and decisions, with potential for increased concordance if improved quality of CDIS is attained.

Tempo do Brasil traduzir para a prática o currículo Médico Baseado em Competência por meio de Atividades Profissionais Confiáveis (APCs) / Tiempo de Brasil traducir a la práctica el Currículo Médico Basado en Competencia por medio de Actividades Profesionales Confiables (APCs) / The time has come for Brazil: translating Competence Based Medical Education into practice by Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs)

As competências médicas apresentadas pelas Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais (DCN) e as políticas de incentivo à formação de mais médicos popularizaram temas como aprendizado ativo e competência. Distorções na implementação curricular resultaram em abordagens fragmentadas e reprodutivas das práticas com distanciamento do processo de trabalho. Vários países ocidentais, ao buscarem o aprimoramento da Educação Médica Baseada em Competência, adotaram as Atividades Profissionais Confiáveis (APCs) na tradução bem-sucedida desse referencial para a prática clínica. Este estudo perspectivo apresenta as APCs no âmbito da educação médica brasileira como possível solução para a melhor efetivação do Currículo Médico Baseado em Competência (CMBC). O estudo descreve as APCs, de seu conceito à realização; provê subsídios para seu entendimento e análise de sua capacidade em mediar uma formação médica mais qualificada e responsiva às necessidades de saúde locais; e contribui com a literatura brasileira na área.(AU)

Las competencias médicas presentadas por las Directrices Curriculares Nacionales y las políticas de incentivo a la formación de más médicos popularizaron temas tales como aprendizaje activo y competencia. Distorsiones en la implementación curricular resultaron en abordajes fragmentados y reproductivos de las prácticas con distanciamiento del proceso de trabajo. Diversos países occidentales, al buscar el perfeccionamiento de la Educación Médica Basada en Competencia, adoptaron las Actividades Profesionales Confiables (APCs) en la traducción exitosa de esas referencias a la práctica clínica. Este estudio perspectivo presenta las APCs en el ámbito de la educación médica brasileña, como posible solución para la mejor efectuación del Currículo Médico Basado en Competencia (CMBC). El estudio describe las APCs, desde su concepto hasta su realización, proporciona subsidios para su entendimiento y análisis de su capacidad para mediar una formación médica más calificada y responsiva a las necesidades de salud local y contribuye con la literatura brasileña en el área..(AU)

The medical competencies presented by the National Curriculum Guidelines and the policies to encourage the education of more physicians have popularized themes such as competence and active learning. Distortions in the curricular implementation resulted in a fragmented and reproductive approach of the practices distancing them of the work process. Several Western countries seeking improvement of the Competence-Based Medical Education (CBME), have recently adopted the concept of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) to better translate this benchmark into clinical practice. This article presents the EPAs for Brazilian medical education as a possible solution for CBME accomplishment. The study explores the EPAs, from their concept to their realization. It aims to provide insights for their understanding and analysis of their capacity as a mediator for more qualified training and more responsivity to local health needs, contributing to the literature in the area..(AU)

El laboratorio de práctica profesional, como estrategia educativa, en el marco del cambio curricular / The professional practice laboratory, as a strategy educational, within the framework of curricular change

En vista de la transformación que se está produciendo en la educación universitaria en general y en la educación para profesionales de la salud en particular, el Instituto Universitario del Hospital Italiano plantea un cambio curricular para la carrera de Medicina. Esto implica, una forma de cambio sociocultural profunda, que afecta los distintos aspectos de la vida institucional. Se propone dejar atrás, el "sistema flexneriano" de enseñanza, proponiendo el sistema Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas (ABP), sumado a talleres y laboratorios donde el conocimiento y las habilidades se irán adquiriendo con diferente grado de complejidad en forma espiralada. El Laboratorio de Práctica Profesional (LPP) es el espacio y el ambiente educacional donde ocurre la máxima integración, trabajando sobre todos los conocimientos necesarios para llevar adelante la actividad profesional correspondiente. En el primer módulo, el enfoque fue guiado, fundamentalmente, hacia lo comunicacional persiguiendo como objetivo que el alumno desarrolle habilidades que le permitan establecer una adecuada relación médico-paciente-familia, así como vínculos adecuados con el equipo de trabajo y la comunidad . Se evaluó el taller en sí mismo y a los tutores mediante encuestas a los estudiantes, y estos últimos a su vez fueron evaluados periódicamente por los tutores y al final del módulo con un examen escrito y un examen tipo evaluación clínica objetiva estructurada. Por lo trabajado creemos que el LPP, como estrategia de enseñanza, contribuye a la formación de habilidades complejas; el resultado de las evaluaciones y el feedback rsultan indispensables para establecer un plan de mejoras. (AU)

In view of the transformation that is taking place in university education in general and in education for health professionals in particular, it is that the University Institute of the Italian Hospital proposes a curricular change for the Medicine career. This implies a socio-cultural change that affects the different aspects of institutional life. It is proposed to leave behind the "Flexnerian system", proposing a system based on: Problem Based Learning, in addition to workshops and laboratories where knowledge and skills will be acquired with a different degree of complexity in spiral form. The Professional Practice Laboratory is the space and educational environment where maximum integration occurs, working on all the necessary knowledge to carry out the corresponding professional activity. In the first module the focus was guided, fundamentally, to the communicational pursuing as objective: that the student develops skills that allow him to establish an adequate doctor-patient-family relationship, as well as adequate links, with the work team and the community. The evaluation was carried out to workshop itself and to the tutors through students' quiz. The students were periodically evaluated by the tutors and at the end of the module with a written exam and a structured Objective Clinical Evaluation type test. For what we have worked to this moment, we believe that: The laboratory of professional practice, as a teaching strategy, contributes to the formation of complex skills; being the result of the evaluations and the feedback, fundamental to establish an improvement plan. (AU)

An Updated Primer on Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) / Guia Atualizado sobre Atividades Profissionais Confiáveis (APCs)

ABSTRACT Since the turn of the millennium, competency-based medical education (CBME) has become a new standard for medical training in many countries. CBME has been operationalized in detailed frameworks of competencies that every physician should demonstrate at graduation, and similar frameworks have been created for specialties. However, the competencies, describing qualities that physicians should possess, do not directly translate into everyday activities of physicians. For that reason, the Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) were introduced. EPAs are units of professional practice that may be entrusted to undergraduate students, once they show the competencies needed to perform them without supervision. EPAs have become a popular topic within CBME programs in many countries and hundreds of publications within only a few years. This paper was written to introduce the strengths and weaknesses of EPAs. After a brief historical overview, the reason why EPAs are a bridge between a competency framework and daily clinical practice is explained. While competencies are qualities of individuals, EPAs are units of work. The two can be seen as two dimensions of a matrix, showing that almost all activities in health care are based on multiple competencies, such as communication skill, collaboration, professional behavior, content knowledge. Next, entrustment decision-making as a form of assessment is created and a framework of levels of supervision is presented. Entrustment decisions focus on the level of supervision a student requires for a specific activity, divided into five levels (1: allowed to observe; 2; allowed to perform under direct supervision; 3: allowed to perform under indirect supervision; 4: allowed to perform the activity unsupervised; 5: allowed to supervise the activity performed by more junior learners). For readers interested in applying the concept to practice, a stepwise approach to the curriculum development is proposed. The paper concludes with an overview of the state-of-the-art of working with EPAs across disciplines, professions and countries.

RESUMO Desde a virada do milênio, a Educação Médica Baseada em Competências (EMBC) tornou-se um novo padrão para a formação médica em muitos países. A EMBC foi operacionalizada em estruturas detalhadas de competências que todo médico deve demonstrar na graduação, e estruturas semelhantes foram criadas para especialidades. No entanto, as competências, descrevendo as qualidades que os médicos devem possuir, não se traduzem diretamente nas atividades cotidianas dos médicos. Por essa razão, as Atividades Profissionais Confiáveis (APCs) foram introduzidas. As APCs são unidades de prática profissional que podem ser confiadas aos estudantes, uma vez que demonstram as competências necessárias para executá-las sem supervisão. As APCs se tornaram um tema popular nos programas de EMBC em diferentes países com centenas de publicações em poucos anos. Este trabalho foi escrito para apresentar em língua portuguesa as fortalezas e fragilidades das APCs. Após uma sucinta revisão histórica, expõe-se a razão de as APCs serem uma ponte entre o marco das competências e a prática clínica diária. Enquanto as competências são qualidades dos indivíduos, as APCs são unidades de trabalho. As duas podem ser vistas como duas dimensões de uma matriz, mostrando que quase todas as atividades na área da saúde se baseiam em múltiplas competências, como capacidade de comunicação, colaboração, comportamento profissional e conhecimento de conteúdo. Em continuidade, apresentam-se o modo de elaborar uma tomada de decisão de atribuição como forma de avaliação e os referenciais para os níveis de supervisão. As decisões de atribuição se concentram nos cinco níveis de supervisão que o estudante demanda para realizar uma atividade específica: 1. ao aprendiz é permitido observar; 2. é permitido executar a APC sob supervisão; 3. é permitido realizar a APC com supervisão indireta; 4. é permitido executar a atividade sem supervisão; 5: é permitido supervisionar aprendizes iniciantes. Para os leitores interessados em aplicar esse conceito na prática, é proposto um processo com o passo a passo dentro do desenvolvimento curricular. O artigo conclui com uma revisão do estado da arte do trabalho com as APCs em diferentes disciplinas, profissões e países.

A primer on entrustable professional activities / 한국의학교육

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) have become a popular topic within competency-based medical education programs in many countries and hundreds of publications within only a few years. This paper was written to introduce the ins and outs of EPAs. After a brief historical overview, the rational of EPAs, as a bridge between a competency framework and daily clinical practice, is explained. Next, entrustment decision-making as a form of assessment is elaborated and framework of levels of supervision is presented. For readers interested to apply the concept in practice a stepwise approach to curriculum development is proposed. The paper concludes with an overview of the state of the art of working with EPAs in across disciplines, professions and countries.