An entrustable professional activity (EPA) for handoffs as a model for EPA assessment development.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Skills Assessment
• Healthcare Professions Training

Background:

• Medical education is shifting focus from processes to measurable outcomes.
• Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) are key skills that learners are progressively entrusted to perform.
• Developing and implementing EPAs presents challenges for residency programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a model for developing and implementing EPAs in medical education.
• To provide a practical example using resident handoffs as a case study.
• To guide residency programs in reporting milestone-based performance.

Main Methods:

• A nine-step model for EPA development and implementation was outlined.
• The model was applied to the resident handoff skill.
• Key steps included stakeholder engagement, defining entrustment levels, and developing assessment tools.

Main Results:

• The model was implemented, observing and providing feedback on handoffs for 78% of interns.
• The developed model facilitates the creation of EPAs for clinical skills.
• The process supports both formative feedback and summative entrustment decisions.

Conclusions:

• The proposed nine-step model offers a viable framework for EPA development and implementation.
• This approach can be adapted for various clinical skills and medical specialties.
• Effective EPA development requires stakeholder engagement and iterative refinement of assessment tools.