What should we assess in practice?

Area of Science:

• Healthcare professional education
• Nursing and midwifery practice assessment

Background:

• Assessment of practice in health professions education has faced persistent challenges and criticism.
• Previous research suggested the difficulty in creating a single assessment tool for all aspects of professional practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and develop an improved tool for assessing professional practice.
• To address concerns regarding the comprehensiveness of existing assessment methods in nursing and midwifery.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative evaluation study employing a naturalistic inquiry approach.
• Data collection involved documentary analysis, questionnaires, focus groups, and individual interviews.
• Progressive focusing and cross-checking of findings were utilized.

Main Results:

• Current assessment tools were found to be incomplete, not encompassing all criteria used by assessors.
• Six critical areas were identified for inclusion in future practice assessment tools.
• These identified areas were further developed into specific statements for tool integration.

Conclusions:

• The developed assessment tool incorporates six key areas identified through qualitative research.
• There is a need to evaluate the fitness for purpose of current assessment tools for pre-registration nursing and midwifery students.
• The findings have implications for nursing management and education in adapting to evolving healthcare landscapes.