Assessing professional behavior: yesterday, today, and tomorrow

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Professionalism Studies
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Professional behavior is a critical component of medical education.
• Current methods for assessing professionalism vary widely in their psychometric properties.
• A clear, actionable definition of professionalism is needed to guide assessment development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current state of assessing professional behavior.
• To define professionalism and evaluate existing assessment tools.
• To provide recommendations for improving the assessment of professionalism.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review of professionalism assessment over the past 30 years.
• Inclusion of studies from databases, conference proceedings, and expert recommendations.
• Analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data on measurement instruments and theoretical approaches.

Main Results:

• A defined concept of professionalism exists, but assessment tools require strengthened measurement properties.
• Existing assessment tools are numerous but need refinement.
• Future research should focus on qualitative techniques, refining quantitative assessments (e.g., Objective Structured Clinical Examinations - OSCEs), and evaluating individual professionalism elements.

Conclusions:

• Improved assessment of professional behavior is essential for evaluating medical education effectiveness.
• Future assessment tools should consider value conflicts, conflict resolution, and the contextual nature of professional behaviors.
• Tailoring assessments to career stage and environmental influences are key areas for future investigation.