Development and validation of entrustable professional activities in pediatric surgery for pediatricians

To develop and validate entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for the training of pediatric residents on topics that interface with pediatric surgical areas in the Brazilian context.

The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, experts were oriented and contextualized, and they were responsible for developing the initial list of EPAs. In the second phase, the Delphi technique was applied in three rounds: the first for consensus, the second for selection according to relevance and agreement, and the third for validation and detailing of the EPAs.

In the first phase of the study, 9 experts listed 88 EPAs, which were applied in the Delphi method. In the first round of Delphi, the consensus of these experts defined 31 EPAs, with CVI ≥ 0.80, and ICC of 0.893 (95 % CI 0.823-0.945). In the second round, 25 coordinators of Medical Residency Programs selected 17 EPAs by agreement and relevance (CVI ≥ 0.80, and ICC of 0.851-95 % CI 0.753 to 0.924). In the third round, 50 preceptors from all over Brazil validated 14 EPAs with CVI ≥ 0.965 and ICC 0.866 (95 % CI 0.804-0.915), which were organized and detailed into 7 final EPAs.

Seven pediatric surgery EPAs were developed, consensualized, selected, and validated by experts for the work of pediatricians in Brazil through the Delphi method. The great participation and interest of medical residency preceptors with a wide geographical coverage in Brazil were strong points of this study, and these EPAs can be applied, reviewed, and updated.