Assessment Practices in Continuing Professional Development Activities in Health Professions: A Scoping Review.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Continuing Professional Development
• Assessment Strategies

Background:

• Educators in continuing professional development (CPD) require innovative assessment strategies to meet accreditation standards and foster lifelong learning.
• There is limited understanding regarding the development and validation of assessment practices within CPD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively document existing knowledge on the development and implementation of assessment practices in CPD activities.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O'Malley (2005, updated 2020) framework.
• Data were extracted from 130 studies identified across five databases, involving title/abstract screening and subsequent data analysis (descriptive and thematic).

Main Results:

• The majority of reported assessments were written (n=100), frequently multiple-choice items (n=79).
• Assessments were often developed for research purposes (n=99) rather than direct CPD application.
• Validation processes were detailed in 105 articles, commonly involving expert review (n=57) or pilot testing (n=50).
• Key themes identified included satisfaction with assessment choices, administration difficulties, and validation complexity.

Conclusions:

• Assessment in CPD must align with intended learning outcomes and minimize negative consequences.
• Validation processes require careful consideration and adaptation for effective implementation within CPD contexts.