Determining undergraduate pediatric chiropractic competencies and entrustable professional activities: A mixed-method...

Area of Science:

• Chiropractic Education
• Pediatric Healthcare
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Developing a standardized undergraduate pediatric competency framework for chiropractic professionals is essential.
• Existing frameworks lack specificity for pediatric chiropractic care.
• Competencies and entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are key components for defining professional capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine an evidence-based, common undergraduate pediatric competency framework for the chiropractic profession.
• To define specific competencies and EPAs for chiropractic pediatrics education.

Main Methods:

• A pragmatic, exploratory, mixed-methods design incorporating grounded theory.
• Systematic literature review, nominal group techniques, and a survey of 321 participants.
• Thematic analysis was used for curriculum development.

Main Results:

• A comprehensive pediatric chiropractic curriculum framework was established, comprising 5 EPAs, 12 aggregate domains, 53 competency domains, and 393 items.
• 90.0% agreement with the curriculum was achieved among UK stakeholders.
• Competencies evolved from 236 to 393 items through curriculum enrichment, reaching data saturation.

Conclusions:

• Undergraduate chiropractic pediatric competencies and EPAs were successfully created, aligning educational outcomes with stakeholder input and accreditation standards.
• The study highlights the value of literature reviews in early-stage curricular design for achieving data saturation.
• This framework provides a foundation for standardized chiropractic pediatrics education.