Feedback Quality in Geriatric Medicine: Analyzing Entrustable Professional Activities in a Competency-Based...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Geriatric Medicine
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Competency-based medical education (CBME) utilizes entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for feedback.
• Variability in feedback quality is a persistent challenge in residency programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in EPA feedback quality within a geriatric medicine residency program.
• To compare feedback characteristics between two distinct time periods.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of EPA feedback forms from a geriatric medicine program.
• Comparison of feedback data from 2019-2020 and 2021-2022.
• Assessment of feedback based on timeliness, task orientation, actionability, and polarity.

Main Results:

• Feedback timeliness decreased from 69% to 64%, and actionability decreased from 50% to 40% between the two periods.
• Task orientation decreased from 89% to 78%, and corrective polarity decreased from 62% to 47%.
• Statistical analysis indicated significant differences in feedback quality metrics between the timeframes.

Conclusions:

• A decline in EPA feedback quality was observed following the implementation of CBME.
• The underlying reasons for this decline require further investigation.
• Understanding the root causes is crucial for developing interventions to sustain CBME quality.