Use of portfolios in teaching communication skills and professionalism for Portuguese-speaking medical students

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to analyse the effect of a portfolio with three activities fostering students' reflection, selfefficacy and teaching of communication skills and professionalism. Methods: A cross-sectional study was applied with a sample of third-and fourth-year medical students in one Portuguese and three Brazilian universities. A three-activity portfolio (course evaluation and learning, self-efficacy activity and free reflective writing) was used during a two-month course on communication skills and professionalism. The 69 students enrolled in the course were invited to complete the three-activity portfolio via Likert-type questionnaires, open-ended questions and narrative. Content and lexical analysis and the Reflection Evaluation for Learners' Enhanced Competencies Tool (REFLECT) were used for assessing the qualitative data. The questionnaires were evaluated using principal components analysis and Cronbach's α. Pearson's correlation was applied to portfolio activities. Results: Of the 69 participants, 85.5% completed at least one activity. Reflecting on what they learned in the communication module, the students did not mention professionalism themes. In the self-efficacy activity on communication, 25% of the fragments were related to professionalism themes. There was a negative correlation between students' self-efficacy and the REFLECT rubric score (r(19)=−0.744; p< 0.0001). Conclusions: Teachers must consider the activity's influence on the reflections when assessing the portfolio. This model of a three-activity portfolio provided diverse ways of encouraging and assessing reflections, supporting teaching improvement and adaptation, evaluating students' self-efficacy and showing that students' higher reflective capacity may promote feelings of low effectiveness.

Medical Student Portfolios: A Systematic Scoping Review

“…However, a flexible approach allowing medical students to personalise their MSPs 58 and express themselves more freely 59 facilitates portfolio student-centricity 60 , 61 and ownership 53 . By encouraging students to incorporate their own content, such as reflective diary entries 55 , reflective essays 57 , video recordings 58 , audio recordings 59 , poetry or art 62 , improvements may be seen in the quantity and quality of their reflections 56 .…”

“…The electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) is a form of MSP that is hosted on electronic platforms 5 , 6 , 9 , 47 , 53 , 56 , 58 , 61 , 63 , and may be created using unique software 47 , 63 , 65 , 76 , 86 . Compared to hardcopy portfolios, they are more durable 66 , user friendly 63 , 75 , 77 , accessible 6 , 53 , 58 , 61 , 80 collaborative 5 , 67 , 73 , 76 , 81 and superior for assessment in certain areas 61 .…”

“…These standardised baseline guidelines will lend clarity to portfolio developers and users. This may boost the latter’s trust and receptivity towards regular portfolio use 55 , 56 .…”

Twelve tips for essential aspects in the elaboration of Global Medical Curricula in a context of Medical Competencies, EPAs, and Milestones

“…Among the favourable arguments are: focus on skills, training and results, personalization of time for learning, planned assessment, and institutional role in decision making (Chuang and Hsieh, 2018;Ten Cate, 2019;Ten Cate and Carraccio, 2019;Veale et al, 2019). The emphasis on results highlights professionalism, which needs to be well delineated, without distancing itself from the transversal insertion of the research (Franco et al, 2020). CBME management includes qualities such as the organization of strategies and methods, guidelines for preparation, application and feedback of assessment, organization of the domains associated with each competency, planning and implementation of flows, adequacy of the learning, teaching and assessment environments, curricular organization and flexibility, continuous investment in the faculty and medical certification.…”

A importância do portfólio crítico-reflexivo na graduação de medicina: Uma experiência acadêmica

“…No contexto das atuais diretrizes nacionais e internacionais da educação universitária acredita-se na necessidade de implementação de novos métodos de se pensar e praticar o processo de ensino-aprendizagem que aprimore o desenvolvimento de competências e forme profissionais com perfil crítico-reflexivo com capacidade para trabalhar em equipes (Brasil, 2014;Cotta, Costa & Mendonça, 2015;Franco et al, 2020).…”