Assessment of Entrustable Professional Activities Using a Web-Based Simulation Platform During Transition to Emergency Medicine Residency: Mixed Methods Pilot Study

Abstract

Background The 13 core entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are key competency-based learning outcomes in the transition from undergraduate to graduate medical education in the United States. Five of these EPAs (EPA2: prioritizing differentials, EPA3: recommending and interpreting tests, EPA4: entering orders and prescriptions, EPA5: documenting clinical encounters, and EPA10: recognizing urgent and emergent conditions) are uniquely suited for web-based assessment. Objective In this pilot study, we created cases on a web-based simulation platform for the diagnostic assessment of these EPAs and examined the feasibility and acceptability of the platform. Methods Four simulation cases underwent 3 rounds of consensus panels and pilot testing. Incoming emergency medicine interns (N=15) completed all cases. A maximum of 4 “look for” statements, which encompassed specific EPAs, were generated for each participant: (1) performing harmful or missing actions, (2) narrowing differential or wrong final diagnosis, (3) errors in documentation, and (4) lack of recognition and stabilization of urgent diagnoses. Finally, we interviewed a sample of interns (n=5) and residency leadership (n=5) and analyzed the responses using thematic analysis. Results All participants had at least one missing critical action, and 40% (6/15) of the participants performed at least one harmful action across all 4 cases. The final diagnosis was not included in the differential diagnosis in more than half of the assessments (8/15, 54%). Other errors included selecting incorrect documentation passages (6/15, 40%) and indiscriminately applying oxygen (9/15, 60%). The interview themes included psychological safety of the interface, ability to assess learning, and fidelity of cases. The most valuable feature cited was the ability to place orders in a realistic electronic medical record interface. Conclusions This study demonstrates the feasibility and acceptability of a web-based platform for diagnostic assessment of specific EPAs. The approach rapidly identifies potential areas of concern for incoming interns using an asynchronous format, provides feedback in a manner appreciated by residency leadership, and informs individualized learning plans.

Assessment of final-year medical students’ entrustable professional activities after education on an interprofessional training ward: A case-control study

“…When used as an assessment framework, EPAs are proposed to best occur in workplace-based situations [20,21]. Assessment of EPAs was also performed in simulated, experiential situations [22,23] and can be facilitated by using mobile devices in daily routine [24]. Another approach to assess medical students' competencies by EPAs was used in competency-based simulations of a first day of residency [14,25].…”