Structured Debriefing to Assess Performance of Entrustable Professional Activities

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Workplace Learning
• Clinical Assessment

Background:

• Workplace-based learning in medicine faces challenges.
• Structured debriefing of clinical experiences offers a solution for deep learning.
• Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) are key to assessing clinical performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate faculty and learner acceptance of private, structured debriefing for EPA performance.
• To explore the impact of debriefing on understanding clinical performance and assessment.

Main Methods:

• Faculty and fellows participated in private, face-to-face debriefings of selected EPAs during clinical rotations.
• A structured format with behavioral anchors and entrustment levels guided the debriefing sessions.
• Thematic analysis of interviews and focus groups was used to gather qualitative data.

Main Results:

• Debriefing facilitated formative feedback and a shared understanding of clinical performance and assessment criteria.
• The standardized, private format allowed for assessment of often overlooked performance aspects.
• Participants found debriefing valuable for formative discussions and goal setting.

Conclusions:

• Structured debriefing of shared clinical experiences positively impacts formative assessment.
• Both faculty and learners viewed this debriefing method favorably.
• This approach enhances workplace-based learning in medical training.