Implementing Entrustable Professional Activities in Pediatric Fellowships: Facilitating the Process. Pediatrics 2024 Jun 01;153(6)
Date
05/17/2024Pubmed ID
38757175DOI
10.1542/peds.2023-065024Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85195225822 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) will be used for initial certification by the American Board of Pediatrics by 2028. Less than half of pediatric fellowships currently use EPAs for assessment, yet all will need to adopt them. Our objectives were to identify facilitators and barriers to the implementation of EPAs to assess pediatric fellows and to determine fellowship program directors' (FPD) perceptions of EPAs and Milestones.
METHODS: We conducted a survey of FPDs from 15 pediatric subspecialties. EPA users were asked about their implementation of EPAs, barriers encountered, and perceptions of EPAs. Nonusers were queried about deterrents to using EPAs. Both groups were asked about potential facilitators of implementation and their perceptions of Milestones.
RESULTS: The response rate was 65% (575/883). Of these, 344 (59.8%) were EPA users and 231 (40.2%) were nonusers. Both groups indicated work burden as a barrier to implementation. Nonusers reported more barriers than users (mean [SD]: 7 [3.8] vs 5.8 [3.4], P < .001). Both groups identified training materials and premade assessment forms as facilitators to implementation. Users felt that EPAs were easier to understand than Milestones (89%) and better reflected what it meant to be a practicing subspecialty physician (90%). In contrast, nonusers felt that Milestones were easy to understand (57%) and reflected what it meant to be a practicing subspecialist (58%).
CONCLUSIONS: Implementing EPA-based assessment will require a substantial investment by FPDs, facilitated by guidance and easily accessible resources provided by multiple organizations. Perceived barriers to be addressed include FPD time constraints, a need for additional assessment tools, and outcomes data.
Author List
Langhan ML, Boyer DL, Hsu D, Moffatt ME, Pitts SA, Atlas MP, Aye T, Chess P, Curran ML, Czaja AS, Dammann CEL, Fussell J, George RP, Herman BE, High P, James SH, Kamin DS, Karnik R, Kesselheim J, Lopez MA, Mahan JD, McFadden V, McGann KA, Mehta JJ, Rama J, Robinson BW, Sauer C, Stafford DEJ, Turner DA, Weiss P, Yussman SM, Schwartz A, Mink RAuthor
Vanessa Mcfadden MD Associate Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
CertificationClinical Competence
Fellowships and Scholarships
Female
Humans
Male
Pediatrics
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States
