EQual, a Novel Rubric to Evaluate Entrustable Professional Activities for Quality and Structure

Abstract

EQual rubric scores reliably measured alignment of EPAs with literature-described standards. Further, its application accurately identified EPAs requiring major revisions.

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

“…However, this issue has been infrequently examined; most of the included studies did not assess the quality of their EPAs. Researchers have recognised the importance of producing high‐quality EPAs, with two tools for measuring EPA quality available . Linking scores on these tools to the methods used could provide more insight into the preferred methods for development, and in turn, the case for implementing EPAs will be strengthened if greater consideration is given to quality.…”

“…To answer this question, it is necessary to assess the quality of EPAs that are developed, and this would be an interesting and important area for future research, providing insight into what methods should be prioritised, and included in a potential standardised template for developing EPAs. Future researchers could use the EQual or the QUEPA tools to determine the quality of EPAs, in tandem with the QATSDD measure of methodological quality to explore the relationship between these variables. In turn, the validity of EPAs could be assessed by looking at the data from quality assessment tools such as those previously mentioned and linking the score on the tool with the number and type of methods used to develop the EPAs.…”

Entrustable Professional Activities: Correlation of Entrustment Assessments of Pediatric Residents With Concurrent Subcompetency Milestones Ratings

“…We acknowledge that high-quality EPAs should focus on professional tasks, not individual qualities of a learner. 35 In reviewing our developed EPAs, the final rotation-specific EPAs (PICU 6, NICU 8, inpatient team 6, and continuity clinic 7) do include an aspect of personal development; however, these EPAs also include activities that are directly relevant to patient care. There may have been variability in the manner in which individual versus composite assessments were completed, which may have affected entrustment decisions.…”

Faculty perspectives of an entrustable professional activity (EPA) framework in predoctoral dental education

“…The QUEPA has been used in other health professions to evaluate EPAs; 27,28 however, alternative tools such as the EQual instrument are longer and may provide more robust feedback as a result. 26 The potential benefits of EPAs in dentistry are emerging. 16 EPAs have been shown to create meaningful assessment frameworks in other health professions and specialties; therefore, it is likely EPAs can be a useful strategy in dentistry.…”

“…The QUEPA includes 15 items that evaluate whether the EPA is focused, observable, realistic, generalizable, and able to incorporate multiple competencies; the EQual includes 14 items that evaluate whether the EPA is discrete, essential to the profession, and function as an educational tool. 25,26 Both rubrics have individuals rate the EPAs on a scale from 1 to 5; for the QUEPA this is from strongly disagree to strongly disagree, whereas the EQual provides descriptions for each of the scale points. The researchers decided to use a modified QUEPA instrument as it has been applied in multiple settings and is less cumbersome for an efficient evaluation.…”