Faculty and Resident Perspectives on Using Entrustment Anchors for Workplace-Based Assessment

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Research
• Assessment in Healthcare Professions

Background:

• Workplace-based assessment (WBA) tools with entrustment anchors show promise for improved reliability over traditional anchors.
• Limited understanding exists regarding the mechanisms and reasons behind the effectiveness of entrustment anchors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and understand resident and faculty experiences with both traditional and entrustment anchors in WBA.
• To gather insights into the perceived benefits and challenges of using entrustment anchors.

Main Methods:

• A constructivist grounded theory approach guided the study from March to December 2017.
• Semistructured interviews were conducted with two groups: those using traditional anchors (n=12) and those using entrustment anchors (n=10).
• Data analysis involved iterative refinement of themes and findings.

Main Results:

• Entrustment anchors were perceived as concrete, justifiable, and transparent, directly linking assessment to learning progress and aligning with training outcomes for better feedback.
• Participants without prior entrustment anchor experience raised contextual concerns, while experienced users detailed how they navigated these.
• A noted limitation was the absence of normative data provided by entrustment anchors.

Conclusions:

• Findings contribute to a theoretical framework for understanding the benefits and challenges of adopting entrustment anchors in WBA.
• Enhanced understanding of user perspectives can guide WBA tool development and inform essential faculty development initiatives for successful implementation.