E-portfolios and Entrustable Professional Activities to support competency-based education in dietetics

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Professional Training
• Competency-Based Education

Background:

• Competency-based frameworks are standard in healthcare education, but assessing student competence in practical settings is difficult.
• Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) offer a novel approach to bridge this gap in professional education.
• The La Trobe University Dietetic program implemented EPAs alongside e-portfolios and self-assessment in 2015-2016.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) in assessing dietetics student competence.
• To appraise the utility of e-portfolios as a tool for documenting and developing student competencies.
• To assess stakeholder perceptions of these assessment methods in professional placement settings.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods evaluation was employed, combining qualitative and quantitative surveys.
• Final year dietetics students and their supervisors participated in surveys and structured consultations.
• The study focused on the implementation of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), e-portfolios, and self-assessment.

Main Results:

• Dietetics students reported comfort with Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) and competency-based assessment.
• Supervisors expressed a preference for Entrustable Professional Activity (EPA)-based assessment methods.
• All participants valued student self-assessment and the continued use of structured e-portfolios for competency development.

Conclusions:

• Structured e-portfolios, student self-assessment, and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) are valuable tools for dietetics education.
• These methods effectively support dietetics student learning and competency documentation in professional placements.
• The integration of EPAs shows promise for improving competency assessment in healthcare professional training.