Establishing Trust When Assessing Learners: Barriers and Opportunities

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Assessment
• Learner Trust

Background:

• Trust is essential for effective clinical learning and assessment.
• Medical students face barriers to trust, including feedback-grade interplay, bias, and faculty time constraints.
• A trusting environment enables learners to openly discuss limitations and receive targeted feedback.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify threats to trust in clinical assessment for medical students.
• To propose strategies for fostering trust in assessment systems within medical education.
• To enhance learner growth and competency through improved assessment practices.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on trust in clinical assessment.
• Analysis of factors impacting trust in medical education.
• Development of actionable strategies for institutions.

Main Results:

• Key threats include the feedback-grade link, bias, and time pressures on faculty.
• Strategies to build trust involve ungraded environments, co-created assessments, bias mitigation, and adequate faculty resources.
• Implementing these strategies can create a more supportive learning environment.

Conclusions:

• Fostering trust in clinical assessment is achievable through intentional institutional strategies.
• Trust empowers learners to be vulnerable, leading to more effective feedback and skill development.
• Investing in trust-building measures enhances the overall quality of medical education and learner achievement.