A search for entrustable professional activities for the 1st year pathology postgraduate trainees

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:During the past decade, there has been a paradigm shift in medical education from the problem-based learning to competency-based training. This has forced a rethink on the way we evaluate the residents and finally give them the right to handle patients independently. This study makes the first attempt towards designing competency-based training program for pathology residents by formulating the entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for the 1st year pathology residents.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A questionnaire comprising 18 potential EPAs in histopathology and 12 potential EPAs in cytology were circulated among the residents of Pathology Department. The respondents were asked to grade the EPAs on a scale of 0–4 based on how important they considered that activity as EPA. The cumulative score of each EPA was divided by the number of respondents to arrive at the average score. The EPAs with an average score of 3 or more qualified to be shortlisted as consensus EPAs.RESULTS:Five activities each of histopathology and cytopathology had an average score of 3 or above and were shortlisted as EPAs for the 1st year pathology postgraduates. Each of these was also mapped to their respective competencies.CONCLUSION:There is an urgent need to restructure the postgraduate pathology curriculum in line with competency-based training. This study is the first step in this direction.

A systematic review of 7 years of research on entrustable professional activities in graduate medical education, 2011–2018

“…A total of 2894 records were screened, with 49 articles deemed eligible for inclusion (for PRISMA diagram, see Fig. ).…”

“…Methods used to develop EPAs included Delphi groups, literature reviews and focus groups. [47][48][49][50][51][52][54][55][56][57][58][60][61][62][63] Although no apparent 'best' method could be determined, this systematic review is nonetheless an important overview of the various processes that can contribute to EPA development in the future. The use of standardised guidelines may also be a means of improving the development process.…”

Entrustable professional activities in health care education: a scoping review

“…Most adopted the Delphi approach or a modified version of it, and some sought expert discussions . A few studies shortlisted important EPAs through online surveys or focus groups . EPAs were mostly mapped to their respective competencies or curricula's milestones.…”

“…A major setback for competency‐based medical education is the vague and theoretical definition of competencies . The enthusiastic worldwide response to the adoption and tailoring of EPA methods demonstrates a global urgency and need for a means to identify core skill sets that will in turn boost the efficacy of medical training and increase trainees’ competencies . To improve transparency in EPA usage, a universal understanding of and definitions for competency‐based terms are required .…”

The effect of entrustable professional activities on pathology resident confidence in blood banking/transfusion medicine

“…There are no distinct correlations with a specific milestone or Milestone Level 1 through 5 . Literature expanding on EPAs for pathology is sparse and among three manuscripts, one is for medical student‐level autopsy pathology and two are focused on resident‐level AP skillsets . The CAP GME Committee delineated one CP EPA for reporting adverse events involving the transfusion of blood components (transfusion reactions) .…”