Developing and validating entrustable professional activities for neurology residency training programs in Saudi...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Neurology Training
• Competency-Based Education

Background:

• Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are essential for medical professionals to perform tasks unsupervised.
• Nationally validated neurology EPAs are currently lacking in Saudi Arabia.
• This study addresses the need for validated EPAs in Saudi neurology residency programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a set of neurology EPAs specifically for Saudi Arabia.
• To establish a foundation for an EPA-based curriculum in Saudi neurology training.
• To ensure neurology residents achieve specific competencies for unsupervised practice.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive list of neurology EPAs was created by reviewing existing competencies and EPAs.
• A modified Delphi technique with two rounds was employed, involving 21 neurology experts.
• Experts rated the relevance and representativeness of EPAs using a 5-point Likert scale; Cronbach's alpha assessed internal consistency.

Main Results:

• The initial review resulted in a list of EPAs, with 10 excluded for lack of relevance and one modified.
• The first Delphi round validated 26 EPAs.
• The second round excluded one additional EPA, finalizing a set of 25 neurology EPAs.

Conclusions:

• A set of 25 neurology EPAs has been developed and content-validated for Saudi Arabia.
• This represents a significant initial step towards implementing an EPA-based curriculum in neurology residency.
• Further integration and validation steps are required to fully implement the EPA-based curriculum.