The Revised 2017 MSPE: Better, But Not "Outstanding".

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Residency Admissions
• Evaluation Metrics

Background:

• The Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) is a critical document for surgical residency program directors.
• In 2017, updated guidelines were issued to standardize MSPE format and content.
• Assessing adherence to these new guidelines is essential for understanding evaluation practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the extent to which US medical schools comply with the 2017 MSPE best practice recommendations.
• To identify changes in MSPE content and format since the implementation of the 2017 guidelines.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 113 MSPEs from Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)-accredited medical schools in 2017.
• Comparison with a baseline of 45 MSPEs from 2016 to track changes over time.
• Evaluation of specific attributes including word count, clerkship grading transparency, comparative performance data, and professionalism statements.

Main Results:

• Increased standardization and transparency in MSPEs following the 2017 guidelines.
• High compliance (96%) with reporting discreet grades in surgery.
• Substantial adherence to recommendations for professionalism statements and comparative clerkship data.

Conclusions:

• US medical schools demonstrate improved adherence to 2017 MSPE guidelines, leading to more standardized evaluations.
• While adherence to professionalism statements and comparative data is increasing, reporting of summative performance data remains incomplete.
• The updated MSPEs provide valuable, transparent information for surgical program directors in evaluating medical students.