Evaluating competency-based medical education: a systematized review of current practices

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Research
• Health Professions Education Evaluation
• Curriculum Development and Assessment

Background:

• Limited comprehensive reviews exist on evaluating competency-based medical education (CBME) curricula.
• Existing literature often lacks detailed reporting on evaluation practices.
• Need for synthesis of evidence on CBME evaluation in health professions education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and synthesize evidence on evaluation practices for competency-based curricula.
• To identify common evaluation approaches and standards used in undergraduate and postgraduate health professions programs.
• To highlight gaps in reporting evaluation practices within CBME.

Main Methods:

• Systematized review methodology applied to published studies.
• Inclusion of studies evaluating undergraduate and postgraduate CBME programs for health professionals.
• Synthesis of findings from 38 included articles.

Main Results:

• Evaluation practices varied significantly across countries and regions.
• A majority of evaluated programs were postgraduate (57%) and in medicine (71%).
• Inconsistent reporting of evaluation objectives, approaches, tools, and standards was prevalent; questionnaires were common, often supplemented by interviews/focus groups.

Conclusions:

• Reports on CBME evaluation experiences often omit essential elements.
• Improved clarity and detail in reporting are crucial for advancing theory and practice in medical education evaluation.
• Standardized reporting of evaluation practices is needed to enhance the rigor and utility of CBME assessments.