A Systematic Scoping Review on Portfolios of Medical Educators

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Professional Development
• Assessment Tools

Background:

• Medical educator portfolios (MEPs) are widely used for teaching, assessment, and reflection.
• Existing MEPs show considerable variation in content and structure, hindering consistent application.
• A need exists to systematically review the current landscape of MEPs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a systematic scoping review (SSR) of medical educator portfolios (MEPs).
• To identify and synthesize existing knowledge regarding the definition, function, implementation, and assessment of MEPs.
• To address the dissonance in MEP content and structure.

Main Methods:

• Adopted Krishna's Systematic Evidenced Based Approach (SEBA) for the SSR.
• Utilized a constructivist approach and relativist lens to integrate diverse data sources.
• Included 79 articles after reviewing 12,360 abstracts and 768 full-text articles.

Main Results:

• Identified key themes: Definition and Functions of MEPs, Implementing and Assessing MEPs, Strengths and limitations of MEPs, and electronic MEPs.
• Thematic and content analysis revealed commonalities and variations across the included literature.
• Highlighted the diverse applications and components of MEPs in medical education.

Conclusions:

• Proffered a novel 5-staged evidence-based approach for constructing MEPs.
• This approach enables consistent application and assessment, focusing on developmental milestones and micro-competencies.
• Facilitates micro-credentialing, effective evaluation, and supports career planning for medical educators.