Tools for measuring medical internship experience: a scoping review.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychology
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Medical internship training is crucial for doctor well-being, recruitment, and retention.
• Existing reviews often overlook non-clinical aspects of training, focusing instead on clinical competency.
• This study addresses the need to understand tools for assessing the broader medical internship experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify existing tools for measuring the medical internship experience.
• To summarize the major domains assessed by these tools.
• To inform future research on medical intern training and well-being.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review of peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2019.
• Searched multiple databases including MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, ERIC, and Cochrane Library.
• Data extraction focused on tools used, themes examined, and psychometric properties in the intern population.

Main Results:

• 92 studies were analyzed, with most originating from the US and UK.
• Key themes included intern well-being, educational environment, and work conditions.
• Standardized tools like Maslach Burnout Inventory and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 were common for well-being, but fewer validated tools exist for educational and work environments.

Conclusions:

• A variety of tools exist to measure medical internship experiences.
• Further psychometric testing of widely used tools in diverse contexts is recommended.
• This will enhance international comparability of future research findings on medical interns.