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Background: The ability to teach, as a core competency, has always suffered from a lack of systematic cultivation., Objective: This study aimed to explore the difference in teaching quality before and after the application of the UTOP (UTeach observation protocol)-based multiple source feedback (MSF) formative assessment of the quality improvement of medical education classrooms., Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the teaching quality of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. The participants were divided into control and UTOP groups according to the actual training they took in the teaching. All the participants, including teachers and trainee teachers, who were under conventional teaching methods were in the control group, and those who were under MSF training were in the UTOP group. UTOP and New Teacher Assessment Scores (NTAS) were evaluated, and the differences between the two courses were analyzed. The UTOP group was divided into a teacher group and a practice group according to differences in the participants' teaching experience. The UTOP-MSF evaluation data were extracted and analyzed, and the differences in teaching quality were compared before and after the implementation of MSF training., Results: The study was conducted for 10 months, with 43 participants completing 120 web-based lectures. In the control group, 32 participants were included, including 22 teachers with 27 courses and 10 trainee teachers who had no teaching experience with 13 courses. Eleven participants in the UTOP group received 9 rounds of MSF feedback training and completed 80 online lectures, including 3 teachers with 19 courses and 8 trainee teachers with 61 courses. A total of 324 evaluations from researchers were extracted and analyzed, including 162 UTOP scores and 162 NTAS; 575 MSF assessments were analyzed, including 438 from the teachers and 137 from the trainee teachers. The participants in the UTOP group had significantly higher UTOP and NTAS scores than did those in the control group did (59.84 ± 14.64 vs. 40.74 ± 6.80, p = 0.000; 73.00 (62.25, 80.00) vs. 53.00 (50.75, 57.00), p = 0.000, respectively). Among the participants who performed UTOP training, the UTOP-MSF scores increased for both teachers and trainee teachers (51.50 (37.75, 68.25) vs. 73.00 (68.00, 76.50), p = 0.022; 41.00 (36.00, 51.75) vs. 68.00 (59.75, 77.00), p = 0.000, respectively). The mean UTOP MSF scores were strongly positively correlated with the mean NTAS (r = 0.640, p = 0.000)., Conclusion: UTOP-based MSF training significantly improved teaching quality in medical education, and it can be an effective tool for evaluating teaching quality., Competing Interests: Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (2024–37), and consent to participate was waived because the retrospective data analysis did not harm participants. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Research in various areas indicates that expert judgment can be highly inconsistent. However, expert judgment is indispensable in many contexts. In medical education, experts often function as examiners in rater-based assessments. Here, disagreement between examiners can have far-reaching consequences. The literature suggests that inconsistencies in ratings depend on the level of performance a to-be-evaluated candidate shows. This possibility has not been addressed deliberately and with appropriate statistical methods. By adopting the theoretical lens of ecological rationality, we evaluate if easily implementable strategies can enhance decision making in real-world assessment contexts., Methods: We address two objectives. First, we investigate the dependence of rater-consistency on performance levels. We recorded videos of mock-exams and had examiners (N=10) evaluate four students' performances and compare inconsistencies in performance ratings between examiner-pairs using a bootstrapping procedure. Our second objective is to provide an approach that aids decision making by implementing simple heuristics., Results: We found that discrepancies were largely a function of the level of performance the candidates showed. Lower performances were rated more inconsistently than excellent performances. Furthermore, our analyses indicated that the use of simple heuristics might improve decisions in examiner pairs., Discussion: Inconsistencies in performance judgments continue to be a matter of concern, and we provide empirical evidence for them to be related to candidate performance. We discuss implications for research and the advantages of adopting the perspective of ecological rationality. We point to directions both for further research and for development of assessment practices., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Medical educator portfolios (MEP) are increasingly recognized as a tool for developing and documenting teaching performance in Health Professions Education. However, there is a need to better understand the complex interplay between institutional guidelines and how teachers decode those guidelines and assign value to teaching merits. To gain a deeper understanding of this dynamic, this study employed a sociological analysis to understand how medical educators aspiring to professorships use MEPs to display their teaching merits and how cultural capital is reflected in these artefacts. We collected 36 medical educator portfolios for promotion from a large research-intensive university and conducted a deductive content analysis using institutional guidelines that distinguished between mandatory (accounting for the total body of teaching conducted) and optional content (arguing for pedagogical choices and evidencing the quality, respectively). Our analysis showed that the portfolios primarily included quantifiable data about teaching activities, e.g., numbers of students, topics and classes taught. Notably, they often lacked evidence of quality and scholarship of teaching. Looking at these findings through a Bourdieusian lens revealed that teachers in this social field exchange objectified evidence of hours spent on teaching into teaching capital recognized by their institution. Our findings highlight how institutional guidelines for MEPs construct a pedagogical battlefield, where educators try to decode and exchange the "right" and recognized teaching capital. This indicates that MEPs reflect the norms and practices of the academic field more than individual teaching quality., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Information and data are accelerating the implementation of competency-based medical education. The adoption of precision education can contribute to this purpose. This article discusses the extent to which precision surgical education can be used in assessing the minimum reliability standards of future surgeons - given the advent of Entrustable Professional Activities - and as an option to strengthen the career trajectory of residents.

Background: Effects of accreditation on various areas of medical education were studied in literature. However, data about comprehensive evaluation of accreditation activities is limited. This paper aims to present how an accreditation agency self-evaluates its own accreditation activities., Methods: Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Medical Education Programs (TEPDAD) is an accreditation agency in Turkey. RE-AIM evaluation framework was used to evaluate TEPDAD's activities. The accreditation processes were evaluated through indicators set for each of five RE-AIM evaluation framework dimensions (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance). Data for evaluation for each dimension were gathered from the documents available in TEPDAD website and archives. Qualitative and quantitative analysis methods were used when necessary to investigate the degree of achievement for each indicator., Results: Seventy-five (83%) of 90 medical schools meeting the application criteria are registered in the accreditation system. Effectiveness analyses revealed that medical education programs improved in eight areas (education program, student representation, documentation, assessment, infrastructure/facilities, faculty development, educational management). Accreditation processes were well adopted by medical schools and TEPDAD volunteers. The number of medical education programs registered in the accreditation system has gradually increased over years. For the accreditation implementation process, medical schools and TEPDAD evaluators provided positive feedback. Medical schools and TEPDAD invested efforts to maintain the accreditation process over time and changing conditions. All of the previously accredited schools have applied for reaccreditation for the second or third cycles to maintain their status. TEPDAD has maintained its recognition status by national and international authorities by several times. The accreditation standards have been continuously reviewed and renewed when necessary. The organizational structure of TEPDAD has been changed in time considering feedback and past experiences. TEPDAD also arranges meetings to promote and maintain its activities., Conclusions: TEPDAD has achieved significant success in terms of reaching majority of the Turkish medical schools, leading to prominent developments in medical education programs without any significant problems related to process, procedures and maintenance. There are still areas of improvement for TEPDAD such as reaching all targeted schools and guiding medical schools to improve quality in diverse elements of medical education programs., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Since 1991, there have been significant changes in medical education in Georgia. Key changes include adapting national legislation toward international standards, establishing the National Center for Education Quality Enhancement (NCEQE), which was recognized in 2018 by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) as an accrediting agency and opening the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) International Networking Center in 2019. Undergraduate medical education, regulated by the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia, spans six years. MD graduates then have options for further career paths, including working as junior doctors, residency, and/or pursuing PhD research.The main challenges the country presently faces are: the need to reduce the increasing number of (mainly) private medical schools. Recent updates to the national standards for undergraduate medical education have imposed stricter accreditation requirements for MD programs, resulting in the closure of schools that fail to meet these standards;postgraduate medical education is governed by the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia (MOH) and needs further reform due to limited and paid residency positions;continuous professional development (CPD) was optional until recently, which led to an increase in professional inaccuracy and malpractice cases. To address this, regulatory bodies, including the MOH and professional associations, are preparing the legal basis for introducing compulsory CPD.

Survey-based research is vital in education and social sciences, offering insights into human behaviors and perceptions. The prevalence of such studies in medical education has risen by 33% over the past decade. Despite this growth, the utility of survey findings depends on the study design quality and measure validity. Many manuscripts are rejected due to poor planning and lack of validity evidence. These guidelines aim to improve the rigor and reporting of survey-based research, ensuring credibility and reproducibility. They apply to various survey tools and evaluations, setting a standard for manuscript quality and informing the review process for Anatomical Science Education., (© 2024 The Author(s). Anatomical Sciences Education published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association for Anatomy.)

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses aggregate research findings across studies and populations, making them a valuable form of research evidence. Over the past decade, studies in medical education using these methods have increased by 630%. However, many manuscripts are not publication-ready due to inadequate planning and insufficient analyses. These guidelines aim to improve the clarity and comprehensiveness of reporting methodologies and outcomes, ensuring high quality and comparability. They align with existing standards like PRISMA, providing examples and best practices. Adhering to these guidelines is crucial for publication consideration in Anatomical Sciences Education., (© 2024 The Author(s). Anatomical Sciences Education published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association for Anatomy.)

Building expertise in climate and planetary health among healthcare professionals cannot come with greater urgency as the threats from climate change become increasingly apparent. Current and future healthcare professionals-particularly internists-will increasingly need to understand the interconnectedness of natural systems and human health to better serve their patients longitudinally. Despite this, few national medical societies and accreditation bodies espouse frameworks for climate change and planetary health-related education at the undergraduate (UME), graduate (GME), and continuing (CME) medical education level. As a community of medical educators with an enduring interest in climate change and planetary health, the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) recognizes the need to explicitly define structured educational opportunities and core competencies in both UME and GME as well as pathways for faculty development. In this position statement, we build from the related SGIM Climate and Health position statement, and review and synthesize existing position statements made by US-based medical societies and accreditation bodies that focus on climate change and planetary health-related medical education, identify gaps using Bloom's Hierarchy, and provide recommendations on behalf of SGIM regarding the development of climate and planetary health curricula development. Identified gaps include (1) limited systematic approach to climate and planetary health medical education at all levels; (2) minimal emphasis on learner-driven approaches; (3) limited focus on physician and learner well-being; and (4) limited role for health equity and climate justice. Recommendations include a call to relevant accreditation bodies to explicitly include climate change and planetary health as a competency, extend the structural competency framework to climate change and planetary health to build climate justice, proactively include learners in curricular development and teaching, and ensure resources and support to design and implement climate and planetary health-focused education that includes well-being and resiliency., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Society of General Internal Medicine.)

Objective: This position paper of the Committee on Methodology in Educational Research sets out the criteria for the acceptance, revision, or rejection of manuscripts of the article types project report and how to in the GMS Journal for Medical Education, as well as outlining the development of these criteria., Methods: In a workshop with writers, reviewers, and editors, we formulated and discussed common core elements for articles. We did this by consulting the journal's editorial board on the basis of guidelines for authors and reviewers from other journals and by using examples of articles considered less or more successful. From this, we derived specific aspects to be addressed and rejection criteria for the respective article types., Results: We have identified the target group, relevance, justification, and implication as the common core elements for both article types. We have also derived specific aspects to be addressed and rejection criteria from these core elements for each article type., Conclusion: A manuscript lacking core elements will be rejected. If aspects are not described sufficiently or are not clearly comprehensible, the manuscript must be revised., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Schüttpelz-Brauns et al.)

Background: ChatGPT, a recently developed artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, has demonstrated improved performance in examinations in the medical field. However, thus far, an overall evaluation of the potential of ChatGPT models (ChatGPT-3.5 and GPT-4) in a variety of national health licensing examinations is lacking. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive assessment of the ChatGPT models' performance in national licensing examinations for medical, pharmacy, dentistry, and nursing research through a meta-analysis., Methods: Following the PRISMA protocol, full-text articles from MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, ERIC, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and key journals were reviewed from the time of ChatGPT's introduction to February 27, 2024. Studies were eligible if they evaluated the performance of a ChatGPT model (ChatGPT-3.5 or GPT-4); related to national licensing examinations in the fields of medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, or nursing; involved multiple-choice questions; and provided data that enabled the calculation of effect size. Two reviewers independently completed data extraction, coding, and quality assessment. The JBI Critical Appraisal Tools were used to assess the quality of the selected articles. Overall effect size and 95% confidence intervals [CIs] were calculated using a random-effects model., Results: A total of 23 studies were considered for this review, which evaluated the accuracy of four types of national licensing examinations. The selected articles were in the fields of medicine (n = 17), pharmacy (n = 3), nursing (n = 2), and dentistry (n = 1). They reported varying accuracy levels, ranging from 36 to 77% for ChatGPT-3.5 and 64.4-100% for GPT-4. The overall effect size for the percentage of accuracy was 70.1% (95% CI, 65-74.8%), which was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses revealed that GPT-4 demonstrated significantly higher accuracy in providing correct responses than its earlier version, ChatGPT-3.5. Additionally, in the context of health licensing examinations, the ChatGPT models exhibited greater proficiency in the following order: pharmacy, medicine, dentistry, and nursing. However, the lack of a broader set of questions, including open-ended and scenario-based questions, and significant heterogeneity were limitations of this meta-analysis., Conclusions: This study sheds light on the accuracy of ChatGPT models in four national health licensing examinations across various countries and provides a practical basis and theoretical support for future research. Further studies are needed to explore their utilization in medical and health education by including a broader and more diverse range of questions, along with more advanced versions of AI chatbots., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Importance: In 2022, the US House of Representatives passed a bipartisan resolution (House of Representatives Resolution 1118 at the 117th Congress [2021-2022]) calling for meaningful nutrition education for medical trainees. This was prompted by increasing health care spending attributed to the growing prevalence of nutrition-related diseases and the substantial federal funding via Medicare that supports graduate medical education. In March 2023, medical education professional organizations agreed to identify nutrition competencies for medical education., Objective: To recommend nutrition competencies for inclusion in medical education to improve patient and population health., Evidence Review: The research team conducted a rapid literature review to identify existing nutrition-related competencies published between July 2013 and July 2023. Additional competencies were identified from learning objectives in selected nutrition, culinary medicine, and teaching kitchen curricula; dietetic core competencies; and research team-generated de novo competencies. An expert panel of 22 nutrition subject matter experts and 15 residency program directors participated in a modified Delphi process and completed 4 rounds of voting to reach consensus on recommended nutrition competencies, the level of medical education at which they should be included, and recommendations for monitoring implementation and evaluation of these competencies., Findings: A total of 15 articles met inclusion criteria for competency extraction and yielded 187 competencies. Through review of gray literature and other sources, researchers identified 167 additional competencies for a total of 354 competencies. These competencies were compiled and refined prior to voting. After 4 rounds of voting, 36 competencies were identified for recommendation: 30 at both undergraduate and graduate levels, 2 at the undergraduate level only, and 4 at the graduate level only. Competencies fell into the following nutrition-related themes: foundational nutrition knowledge, assessment and diagnosis, communication skills, public health, collaborative support and treatment for specific conditions, and indications for referral. A total of 36 panelists (97%) recommended nutrition competencies be assessed as part of licensing and board certification examinations., Conclusions and Relevance: These competencies represent a US-based effort to use a modified Delphi process to establish consensus on nutrition competencies for medical students and physician trainees. These competencies will require an iterative process of institutional prioritization, refinement, and inclusion in current and future educational curricula as well as licensure and certification examinations.

Background and Objectives: The global shift towards competency-based medical education (CBME) has led to the development of national guidelines for CBME implementation (CBME Guides). The characteristics of CBME Guides from CBME-developed countries were analysed to inform the revision process for the CBME Guide in Japan, a CBME-developing country., Methods: Document analysis of CBME Guides from Canada, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States was conducted by six Japanese medical education experts. The process of analysing the CBME Guides was also reviewed., Results: While the CBME Guides contain many commonalities in structure and content, there is variation in terminology and forms of expression. The characteristics vary according to national systems, culture, and customs. The content of the Guides may have changed depending on the publication date, in line with changes in medical technology, medical needs, and advances in the understanding of CBME., Conclusions: Analysing CBME Guides from CBME-developed countries may lead to more meaningful revisions to a CBME-developing country's guide, enabling it to be better aligned with the local, social, cultural, and historical context of the country now and in the future.

The Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics created the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Guidelines Task Force to develop best practices to establish a diverse physician workforce and eliminate racism in medical education. Using the guidelines, educators are impacting their communities and, in some areas, leading their institutions toward greater diversity and inclusion. The guidelines are organized by 4 domains: learning environment, grading and assessment, pathway programs, and metrics. This manuscript uses that framework to highlight the work of individual educators who are moving the needle towards racism-free health care and aims to inspire others contemplating incorporation into their programs., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Addressing systemic bias in medical school assessment is an urgent task for medical education. This paper outlines recommendations on topic areas for further research on systemic bias, developed from a workshop discussion at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society of Directors of Research in Medical Education., Materials and Methods: During the workshop, directors engaged in small-group discussions on guidelines to address bias in assessment practices following a proposed categorization of 'Do's,' 'Don'ts,' and 'Don't knows' and listed their insights using anonymous sticky notes, which were shared and discussed with the larger group of participants. The authors performed a content analysis of the notes through deductive and inductive coding. We reviewed and discussed our analysis to reach consensus., Results: The workshop included 31 participants from 28 institutions across the US and Canada, generating 51 unique notes. Participants identified 23 research areas in need of further study. The inductive analysis of proposed research areas revealed four main topics: 1) The role of interventions, including pre-medical academic interventions, medical-education interventions, assessment approaches, and wellness interventions; 2) Professional development, including the definition and assessment of professionalism and professional identity formation; 3) Context, including patient care and systemic influences; and 4) Research approaches., Discussion: While limited to data from a single workshop, the results offered perspectives about areas for further research shared by a group of directors of medical education research units from diverse backgrounds. The workshop produced valuable insights into the need for more evidence-based interventions that promote more equitable assessment practices grounded in real-world situations and that attenuate the effects of bias.

Background: The purpose was to investigate the psychometric features of the Feedback Quality Instrument (FQI) in medical students, emphasizing the instrument's utility for evaluating the quality of feedback provided in clinical contexts and the importance of performing so for medical trainees., Methods and Material: The Persian version of the FQI was evaluated for content validity through a focus group of medical education experts. The questionnaire's face, content, and construct validity were assessed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, internal consistency, and inter-rater reliability. The questionnaire was revised and pilot-tested, with medical students' feedback in different clinical situations. The data was analyzed using AMOS26., Results: The content validity index equaled 0.88(> 0.79). The content validity ratio representing the proportion of participants who agreed on a selected item was 0.69(> 0.42). According to experts, item 25 is the only modified item, while items 23 and 24 are presented as one item. For reliability, Cronbach alpha was equaled to 0.98., Conclusions: The Persian version of the Feedback Quality Instrument (FQI) was valid, reliable, and fair in assessing feedback quality in medical students, providing valuable insights for other institutions. Establishing a basis for systematically analyzing how certain educator behaviors affect student outcomes is practical., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Over the past 2 years, researchers have used various medical licensing examinations to test whether ChatGPT (OpenAI) possesses accurate medical knowledge. The performance of each version of ChatGPT on the medical licensing examination in multiple environments showed remarkable differences. At this stage, there is still a lack of a comprehensive understanding of the variability in ChatGPT's performance on different medical licensing examinations., Objective: In this study, we reviewed all studies on ChatGPT performance in medical licensing examinations up to March 2024. This review aims to contribute to the evolving discourse on artificial intelligence (AI) in medical education by providing a comprehensive analysis of the performance of ChatGPT in various environments. The insights gained from this systematic review will guide educators, policymakers, and technical experts to effectively and judiciously use AI in medical education., Methods: We searched the literature published between January 1, 2022, and March 29, 2024, by searching query strings in Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus. Two authors screened the literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and independently assessed the quality of the literature concerning Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2. We conducted both qualitative and quantitative analyses., Results: A total of 45 studies on the performance of different versions of ChatGPT in medical licensing examinations were included in this study. GPT-4 achieved an overall accuracy rate of 81% (95% CI 78-84; P<.01), significantly surpassing the 58% (95% CI 53-63; P<.01) accuracy rate of GPT-3.5. GPT-4 passed the medical examinations in 26 of 29 cases, outperforming the average scores of medical students in 13 of 17 cases. Translating the examination questions into English improved GPT-3.5's performance but did not affect GPT-4. GPT-3.5 showed no difference in performance between examinations from English-speaking and non-English-speaking countries (P=.72), but GPT-4 performed better on examinations from English-speaking countries significantly (P=.02). Any type of prompt could significantly improve GPT-3.5's (P=.03) and GPT-4's (P<.01) performance. GPT-3.5 performed better on short-text questions than on long-text questions. The difficulty of the questions affected the performance of GPT-3.5 and GPT-4. In image-based multiple-choice questions (MCQs), ChatGPT's accuracy rate ranges from 13.1% to 100%. ChatGPT performed significantly worse on open-ended questions than on MCQs., Conclusions: GPT-4 demonstrates considerable potential for future use in medical education. However, due to its insufficient accuracy, inconsistent performance, and the challenges posed by differing medical policies and knowledge across countries, GPT-4 is not yet suitable for use in medical education., Trial Registration: PROSPERO CRD42024506687; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display&#95;record.php?RecordID=506687., (©Mingxin Liu, Tsuyoshi Okuhara, XinYi Chang, Ritsuko Shirabe, Yuriko Nishiie, Hiroko Okada, Takahiro Kiuchi. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 25.07.2024.)

The actual trends in training of health care professionals set before medical university task of actualization and diversification of training programs targeted to formation both professional and universal competencies to contribute to variable combination of different skills and habits in implementation of medical activities. The increasing needs of labor market in specialists capable to meet actual realities and associated with transformational transition from narrow specialization to different specific skills, inevitably results into increasing of importance for additional education programs as an element of continuing The following key features of various proposals for additional professional education programs were singled out. The major task of forming proposal of additional programs is seen by university through prism of possible increasing of income. And main contingent of students is formed by specialists improve their qualifications. The specificity of medical university is specialists training to implement medical practice. In this regard, additional law training programs are targeted to exclusively at persons mastering basic educational program for the first time. The competencies implemented are focused at extending and specifying training considering legal maintenance or new trends. Besides, applying value-based approach to formation of educational trajectory of student, university translates primary importance of autonomy of will of student choosing additional educational programs. Thus, learning program of additional education is carried out using basic training in law and considering necessary and sufficient factual component that meets the needs of modern labor market, permitting strengthen and expand available competencies for future professional activity of medical worker. The article analyzed results of studies of pedagogues and psychologists, specialists of philosophical direction, professional lecturers, and sociological studies. The methods applied were analysis and synthesis, formalization, generalization, document analysis. The main methods of data analysis were substantive (hermeneutical) analysis and discourse analysis.

Practical assessment involving patients plays a vital role in medical education, allowing students to demonstrate their clinical competencies. However, there are significant ethical concerns associated with these assessments that require careful consideration and resolution. The primary ethical concerns include violation of patient autonomy, lack of written informed consent, power dynamics, cultural differences, potential harm to patients, breach of privacy and confidentiality, discomfort to admitted patients, financial loss to patients, impact on other patients' care, and delays in workup/procedures. To address these concerns, measures such as respecting patient autonomy, obtaining written informed consent, ensuring patient safety, exploring alternative methods, providing reimbursement, resource planning, creating a supportive environment, developing cultural competency, putting in place a feedback system, prioritising patient care, and implementing ethical oversight and monitoring are recommended. The formulation of a guideline could be a crucial starting point, and it should be integrated into a broader ethical framework that encompasses education and training, ethical oversight, ongoing monitoring, and a culture that prioritises ethical conduct.

Aims/Background Blended learning has been a commonly adopted teaching mode in the medical education community in recent years. Many studies have shown that the blended learning mode is superior to the traditional teaching mode. Nonetheless, pinpointing the specific advantages provided by blended teaching methods is challenging, since multiple elements influence their effectiveness. This study aimed to investigate the reliability of the conclusions of published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on blended learning in medical education by assessing their quality, and to provide suggestions for future related studies. Methods Two investigators searched PUBMED and EMBASE, and assessed RCTs related to medical blended learning published from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2021. The analysis of the overall quality of each report was based on the 2010 consolidated standard of reporting trials (CONSORT) Statement applying a 28-point overall quality score. We also conducted a multivariate assessment including year of publication, region of the trial, journal, impact factor, sample size, and the primary outcome. Results A total of 22 RCTs closely relevant to medical blended learning were eventually selected for study. The results demonstrated that half of the studies failed to explicitly describe at least 34% of the items in the 2010 CONSORT Statement. Medical blended learning is an emerging new teaching mode, with 95.45% of RCTs published since 2010. However, many issues that we consider crucial were not satisfactorily addressed in the selected RCTs. Conclusion Although the 2010 CONSORT Statement was published more than a decade ago, the quality of RCTs remains unsatisfactory. Some important items were inadequately reported in many RCTs such as sample size, blinding, and concealment. We encourage researchers who focus on the effects of blended learning in medical education to incorporate the guidelines in the 2010 CONSORT Statement when designing and conducting relevant research. Researchers, reviewers, and editors also need to work together to improve the quality of relevant RCTs in accordance with the requirements of the 2010 CONSORT Statement.

Background: We present the first results of the Accreditation System of Medical Schools (Sistema de Acreditação de Escolas Médicas - SAEME) in Brazil., Methods: We evaluated the results of the accreditation of medical schools from 2015 to 2023. The self-evaluation form of the SAEME is specific for medical education programs and has eighty domains, which results in final decisions that are sufficient or insufficient for each domain. We evaluated the results of the first seventy-six medical schools evaluated by the SAEME., Results: Fifty-five medical schools (72.4%) were accredited, and 21 (27.6%) were not. Seventy-two (94.7%) medical schools were considered sufficient in social accountability, 93.4% in integration with the family health program, 75.0% in faculty development programs and 78.9% in environmental sustainability. There was an emphasis on SAEME in student well-being, with seventeen domains in this area, and 71.7% of these domains were sufficient. The areas with the lowest levels of sufficiency were interprofessional education, mentoring programs, student assessment and weekly distribution of educational activities., Conclusion: Medical schools in Brazil are strongly committed to social accountability, integration with the national health system, environmental sustainability and student well-being programs. SAEME is moving from episodic evaluations of medical schools to continuous quality improvement policies., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Few published articles provide a comprehensive overview of the available evidence on the topic of evaluating competency-based medical education (CBME) curricula. The purpose of this review is therefore to synthesize the available evidence on the evaluation practices for competency-based curricula employed in schools and programs for undergraduate and postgraduate health professionals., Method: This systematized review was conducted following the systematic reviews approach with minor modifications to synthesize the findings of published studies that examined the evaluation of CBME undergraduate and postgraduate programs for health professionals., Results: Thirty-eight articles met the inclusion criteria and reported evaluation practices in CBME curricula from various countries and regions worldwide, such as Canada, China, Turkey, and West Africa. 57% of the evaluated programs were at the postgraduate level, and 71% were in the field of medicine. The results revealed variation in reporting evaluation practices, with numerous studies failing to clarify evaluations' objectives, approaches, tools, and standards as well as how evaluations were reported and communicated. It was noted that questionnaires were the primary tool employed for evaluating programs, often combined with interviews or focus groups. Furthermore, the utilized evaluation standards considered the well-known competencies framework, specialized association guidelines, and accreditation criteria., Conclusion: This review calls attention to the importance of ensuring that reports of evaluation experiences include certain essential elements of evaluation to better inform theory and practice., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: This study aimed to create greater clarity about the current understanding and formulate a model of how educational comparability has been used in the literature to inform practice., Method: The authors conducted a literature search of 9 online databases, seeking articles published on comparability in distributed settings in health professions education before August 2021, with an updated search conducted in May 2023. Using a structured scoping review approach, 2 reviewers independently screened articles for eligibility with inclusion criteria and extracted key data. All authors participated in the descriptive analysis of the extracted data., Results: Twenty-four articles published between 1987 and 2021 met the inclusion criteria. Most articles were focused on medical education programs (n = 21) and located in North America (n = 18). The main rationale for discussing comparability was accreditation. These articles did not offer definitions or discussions about what comparability means. The program logic model was used as an organizing framework to synthesize the literature on practices that schools undertake to facilitate and demonstrate comparability in the design (inputs), implementation (activities), and evaluation (outcomes) of distributed education. Inputs include common learning objectives, identical assessment tools and policies, governance models that enable clear communication, and reporting structure that is supported by technological infrastructure. Activities include faculty planning meetings and faculty development training. Outcomes include student experiences and academic performances., Conclusions: This study demonstrated that a more complex understanding of the dynamics of educational processes and practices is required to better guide the practice of educational comparability within distributed education programs. In addition to highlighting the need to develop an accepted definition of educational comparability, further elucidation of the underlying dynamics among input, activities, and outcomes would help to better determine what drivers should be prioritized when considering educational change with attention to context within distributed education., (Copyright © 2024 the Association of American Medical Colleges.)

Objectives: This study assessed the content of US Medical Licensing Examination question banks with regard to out-of-hospital births and whether the questions aligned with current evidence., Methods: Three question banks were searched for key words regarding out-of-hospital births. A thematic analysis was then utilized to analyze the results., Results: Forty-seven questions were identified, and of these, 55% indicated a lack of inadequate, limited, or irregular prenatal care in the question stem., Conclusions: Systematic studies comparing prenatal care in out-of-hospital births versus hospital births are nonexistent, leading to the potential for bias and adverse outcomes. Adjustments to question stems that accurately portray current evidence are recommended.

India introduced competency-based medical education (CBME) in the year 2019. There is often confusion between terms like ability, skill, and competency. The provided curriculum encourages teaching and assessing skills rather than competencies. Though competency includes skill, it is more than a mere skill, and ignoring the other aspects like communication, ethics, and professionalism can compromise the teaching of competencies as well as their intended benefits to the patient and the society. The focus on skills also undermines the assessment of relevant knowledge. This paper clarifies the differences between ability, skill, and competency, and re-emphasizes the role of relevant knowledge and its assessment throughout clinical training. It is also emphasized that competency assessment is not a one-shot process; rather, it must be a longitudinal process where the assessment should bring out the achievement level of the student. Many of the components of competencies are not assessable by purely objective methods and there is a need to use expert subjective judgments, especially for the formative and classroom assessments. A mentor adds to the success of a competency-based curriculum.

The objective of the ASPIRE award programme of the International Association for Health Professions Education is to go beyond traditional accreditation processes. Working in partnership with the ASPIRE Academy, the programme aims to encourage and support excellence in health professions education, in part by showcasing and exemplifying best practices. Each year ASPIRE award applications received from institutions across the globe describe their greatest achievements in a variety of areas, one of which is curriculum development, where evaluation of applications is carried out using a framework of six domains. These are described in this paper as key elements of excellence, specifically, Organisational Structure and Curriculum Management; Underlying Educational Strategy; Content Specification and Pedagogy; Teaching and Learning Methods and Environment; Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation; Scholarship. Using examples from the content of submissions of three medical schools from very different settings that have been successful in the past few years, achievements in education processes and outcomes of institutions around the world are highlighted in ways that are relevant to their local and societal contexts.

Abstract: Recent events have ignited widespread attention to structural racism and implicit bias throughout the U.S. health care system and medical institutions, resulting in a call for antiracism approaches to advance health equity. Medical education leaders are well positioned to advance health equity, not only through their training of fellows, residents, and medical students, but also in their approach to scholarship. Education scholarship drives innovation and critical evaluation of current practices; it impacts and intersects with multiple factors that have the potential to reduce health inequities. Thus, it is critical to prioritize the assessment of education scholarship through a health equity lens. Medical education scholarly dissemination has markedly expanded over the past 2 to 3 decades, yet medical educators have continued to embrace Boyer's and Glassick and colleagues' definitions of scholarship. The authors propose an approach to medical education scholarship assessment that expands each of Glassick's 6 existing criteria to address health inequities and adds health equity as a seventh criterion. With this, medical educators, researchers, reviewers, and others can consider how education scholarship affects diverse populations and settings, direct educational products and scholarship to address health inequities, and raise the importance of advancing health equity in medical education scholarship. By expanding and standardizing the assessment of scholarship to incorporate health equity, the medical education community can foster a cultural shift that brings health equity to the forefront of education scholarship., (Copyright © 2024 the Association of American Medical Colleges.)

There is a need for schools that train medical and health professionals to reflect on whether their education program is aligned to current demands and challenges. Such a reflection is not a luxury but a necessity, as achieving minimum standards is not enough. A school should aim for excellence and incorporate best practice in their education program. The ASPIRE-to-Excellence award panels have elaborated on examples of excellence in a number of themes in medical and health professional education. These are presented in a series of articles to be published in Medical Teacher in 2024 and 2025. The frameworks and critical elements described in these articles may be used by institutions as a first step in an evaluation of their program. The frameworks and elements described and examples can be used as a resource for schools and other healthcare learning organizations to consider as they endeavor to improve their education program.

Current escalation of natural disasters, pandemics, and humanitarian crises underscores the pressing need for inclusion of disaster medicine in medical education frameworks. Conventional medical training often lacks adequate focus on the complexities and unique challenges inherent in such emergencies. This discourse advocates for the integration of disaster medicine into medical curricula, highlighting the imperative to prepare health-care professionals for an effective response in challenging environments. These competencies encompass understanding mass casualty management, ethical decision-making amidst resource constraints, and adapting health-care practices to varied emergency contexts. Therefore, we posit that equipping medical students with these specialized skills and knowledge is vital for health-care delivery in the face of global health emergencies.

Competing Interests: Les auteurs déclarent n’avoir aucun lien d’intérêts.

Abstract: Precision education (PE) may hold promise for the future of the field. Leveraging data and learning analytics to foster continuous improvement of individuals, programs, and organizations seems like a potential mechanism to advance both medical education and health care delivery systems toward a more equitable future. However, PE initiatives may also have unintended consequences and perpetuate inequities instead of ameliorating them. Although there have been some principles, ideas, and suggestions on how PE implementation may promote equity-particularly for the field of assessment-there is a lack of practical and evidence-informed guidance to support a more equitable and participatory approach to PE implementation. This paper provides actionable recommendations on how PE may advance equitable assessment. First, PE implementation must include democratizing access and ownership while enhancing literacy and transparency. Open and transparent access to both data and PE technology has the potential to enhance PE by fostering greater participation, rigor, and potential innovation. Transparency may also safeguard the use of assessment data for equitable purposes. Second, PE implementation must be cocreated with diverse learners. PE has the potential to empower learners if they are given an opportunity to participate in the development, application, and implementation of PE. Overall, a participatory approach to PE implementation has the potential to improve equitable assessment., (Copyright © 2023 the Association of American Medical Colleges.)

Context: This narrative review article explores research integrity and the implications of scholarly work in medical education. The paper describes how the current landscape of medical education emphasizes research and scholarly activity for medical students, resident physicians, and faculty physician educators. There is a gap in the existing literature that fully explores research integrity, the challenges surrounding the significant pressure to perform scholarly activity, and the potential for ethical lapses by those involved in medical education., Objectives: The objectives of this review article are to provide a background on authorship and publication safeguards, outline common types of research misconduct, describe the implications of publication in medical education, discuss the consequences of ethical breaches, and outline possible solutions to promote research integrity in academic medicine., Methods: To complete this narrative review, the authors explored the current literature utilizing multiple databases beginning in June of 2021, and they completed the literature review in January of 2023. To capture the wide scope of the review, numerous searches were performed. A number of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms were utilized to identify relevant articles. The MeSH terms included "scientific misconduct," "research misconduct," "authorship," "plagiarism," "biomedical research/ethics," "faculty, medical," "fellowships and scholarships," and "internship and residency." Additional references were accessed to include medical school and residency accreditation standards, residency match statistics, regulatory guidelines, and standard definitions., Results: Within the realm of academic medicine, research misconduct and misrepresentation continue to occur without clear solutions. There is a wide range of severity in breaches of research integrity, ranging from minor infractions to fraud. Throughout the medical education system in the United States, there is pressure to publish research and scholarly work. Higher rates of publications are associated with a successful residency match for students and academic promotion for faculty physicians. For those who participate in research misconduct, there is a multitude of potential adverse consequences. Potential solutions to ensure research integrity exist but are not without barriers to implementation., Conclusions: Pressure in the world of academic medicine to publish contributes to the potential for research misconduct and authorship misrepresentation. Lapses in research integrity can result in a wide range of potentially adverse consequences for the offender, their institution, the scientific community, and the public. If adopted, universal research integrity policies and procedures could make major strides in eliminating research misconduct in the realm of academic medicine., (© 2024 the author(s), published by De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston.)

Objective: Aim: The aim is to identify features of theoretical and empirical research of academic integrity as characteristics of the educational environment of medical higher education institution (hereinafter - HEI)., Patients and Methods: Materials and Methods: A complex of general scientific methods: logical-analytical, dialectical, theoretical-logical, comparative analysis, formalization and generalization, as well as quantitative sociological methods for collecting, processing and analyzing information. The object of the pilot empirical study were domestic medical students of full-time education at the Bogomolets NMU (N=472) and scientific and pedagogical staff who provide teaching of fundamental, specialized and socio-humanitarian disciplines at the university (N=153)., Results: Results: The values of academic integrity are the moral guideline that reveals the latest ethical demands of society and regulates the educational and scientific activities of all participants in the educational process. Opinions on the primary responsibility for compliance with the rules of academic integrity of a student differ between the surveyed scientific and pedagogical staff and students (p=0.000): the vast majority of the surveyed scientific and pedagogical staff tend to evenly divide the responsibility between a teacher and a student, and the majority of students-respondents noted that the student bears the primary responsibility., Conclusion: Conclusions: Commitment to the principles of integrity motivates both students and teaching staff to act in an academic manner. Therefore, the creation of a methodology for studying the phenomenon of academic integrity in medical higher education institution through the study of attitude of the subjects of educational process to basic values is promising.

The current healthcare system disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, leading to disparities in health outcomes. As a result, medical schools need to equip future physicians with the tools to identify and address healthcare disparities. The University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine implemented a Scholarly Concentration in Medical Social Justice (SCiMSJ) program to address this issue. Three medical students joined the program and pioneered a project to address the equitable vaccine distribution within the local Hispanic/Latinx community. After identifying the disparity in vaccine uptake and high levels of vaccine hesitancy, they collaborated with local organizations to address vaccine misinformation and accessibility. They organized outreach events, provided vaccine education, and hosted a vaccine clinic at a Catholic church with a high Hispanic/Latinx congregation. Through their efforts, they administered 1,456 vaccines. The estimated economic and societal impacts of their work was 879 COVID-19 cases avoided, 5 deaths avoided, 45 life years saved, and $29,286 in economic value. The project's success highlights the effectiveness of a student-led approach to promote skill development in social justice training. Leadership skills and coalition building were crucial in overcoming resource limitations and connecting organizations with the necessary volunteer force. Building trust with the Hispanic/Latinx community through outreach efforts and addressing vaccine hesitancy contributed to the well-attended vaccine clinic. The project's framework and approach can be adopted by other medical students and organizations to address health disparities and improve health outcomes in their communities.

Background/Introduction: The pathology specimen reception is fundamental to the services provided by Biomedical Science laboratories worldwide. To ensure patient safety and that samples are of adequate quality to send for analysis, prospective Biomedical Scientists should have a robust knowledge of the processes involved and the acceptance criteria of the pathology specimen reception. This knowledge has been highlighted by employers as a current gap in Biomedical Science graduates and therefore needs to be addressed within higher education settings. To do this, this study aimed to 1) design a practical session to simulate the key processes of the pathology specimen reception and 2) to understand Biomedical Science students' opinions on these activities and the development of transferable skills required for post-graduate employment. Methods: The practical session was designed based on industrial requirements and academic knowledge of student skill sets to ensure suitability. Qualitative information regarding participant demographics and career interests was acquired through open-answer or multiple-choice questions. Quantitative student feedback was acquired via questionnaires utilising a 5-point Likert scale ( n = 77). Results: The scenario-based practical session provided students with a positive learning experience with 98.7% of participants enjoying the session, with 87.0% stating they learned a lot by completing the session. It was also identified that participants preferred this style of learning to that of conventional higher education teaching modalities with 97.4% stating they would prefer simulated employment focussed scenarios embedded into the curriculum more often. The majority of participants also thought this session was helpful for the development of their key transferrable skills including teamworking, communication, and confidence. When stratified based on demographic data, there was minimal difference between cohorts and in the majority of cases, those participants from non-traditional university entry backgrounds had a more positive experience and better transferable skill development following the completion of this style of learning experience. Conclusion: This study highlights simulation-based learning as a tool to develop core Biomedical Science knowledge, build student graduate capital, and ensure the preparedness of students for post-graduation employment., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Hussain, Namvar and Jones.)