Does one size fit all? Building a framework for medical professionalism

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Professionalism Studies
• Sociocultural Research

Background:

• Global attention on medical professionalism highlights a need to assess Western framework applicability.
• Limited research exists on universalizing medical professionalism frameworks across diverse cultures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose an institutional approach for developing a medical professionalism framework.
• To incorporate historical and sociocultural contexts into a new professionalism model.

Main Methods:

• Nominal group technique (NGT) engaged 91 stakeholders from 12 groups in Taiwan.
• An expert committee synthesized NGT findings, literature review, and institutional values.
• Transcript analysis refined the framework to align with stakeholder-identified competencies.

Main Results:

• Twelve NGT groups identified 5-23 core competencies each.
• An expert panel finalized an eight-competency framework.
• The developed framework uniquely emphasizes self-integrity and role harmonization, differing from Western models.

Conclusions:

• The study challenges the universal applicability of Western medical professionalism frameworks.
• A culturally sensitive process for building local professionalism frameworks is proposed.
• Local heritage and stakeholder values are crucial for effective medical professionalism.