Interprofessional collaboration milestones: advocating for common assessment criteria in graduate medical education

Abstract

BackgroundMilestone-based assessments of resident physicians inform critical decisions regarding resident competence and advancement. Thus, it is essential that milestone evaluations are based upon strong validity evidence and that consistent evaluation criteria are used across residency programs. A common approach to assessment of interprofessional collaboration milestones is particularly important since standardized measures of individual resident competence in interprofessional collaboration have not been established.DiscussionWe propose that assessments of interprofessional collaboration in graduate medical education meet common criteria, namely, these assessments should: 1) measure competency of an individual resident, 2) occur in the context of an interprofessional team, 3) be ascertained via direct observation of the resident, 4) be performed in a real-world clinical practice setting (such as a hospital ward, outpatient clinic, or operating room). We present the evidence-based rationale for these criteria and cite examples of published assessment instruments that fulfill one or more of the criteria, however further research is needed to ensure fidelity of assessments.SummaryThe proposed criteria may assist residency educators as they endeavor to provide robust and consistent assessments of interprofessional collaboration milestones.

Charting a Key Competency Domain: Understanding Resident Physician Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC) Skills

“…22 There are few instruments that meet these criteria for addressing IPC milestones for the individual dyad and limited opportunities for work place assessment of these important skills. Direct workplace observation of a resident giving feedback to an interprofessional colleague may not be feasible and simply placing learners in team-based care may be insufficient to teach these skills.…”

Advances in medical education and practice: role of massive open online courses

“…5 This learning occurs through scaf-folded opportunities that expose students to IPE, engage them in integrated work, and develop their competence for IPP. 5 – 7 Data show that IPE experiences increase students’ confidence and readiness for effective teamwork and shared decision-making in professional practice. 8 Results from eight randomized controlled trials have documented positive outcomes in varying aspects of health care, including increased practitioner competencies and patient satisfaction.…”

Exploring medical students’ early experiences of interacting with the multi-disciplinary team (MDT): A qualitative study

“…It is vital that the importance of IPE is acknowledged and that mandatory sessions are included in the curriculum, as students interpretations of interprofessional collaboration are often largely shaped by the 'hidden curriculum (Horsburgh, Lamdin and Williamson, 2001;Burning et al, 2009;Hays, 2013). There is an increasingly large amount of support and evidence behind IPE, but it is still not the norm in most universities and progress is still needed (Gwee, Samarasekera and Chong, 2013;Wingo et al, 2015;Ho et al, 2008;Aston et al, 2012;Daly, 2004). IPE needs input from multiple professions, thriving when there is a sense of community, respect and equity, where open and mutual support is demonstrated (Bridges et al, 2011;Turrentine et al, 2016;O'Connell and Pascoe, 2004).…”