Assessment of dental residents' professionalism through Professionalism Mini-Evaluation Exercise (P-MEX).

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the professional behavior of dental residents through Professionalism Mini-Evaluation Exercise (P-MEX). This was a descriptive-analytical study. Content validity of P-MEX form was investigated for use in the context of dentistry. A total of 24-item version of P-MEX consisted of doctor-patient relationship skills (n=7), reflective skills (n=5), time management (n=3), and interprofessional relationship skills (n=9) was used in the present study. Residents in different dental specialties (n=56) were evaluated by trained raters (448 times). Data were analyzed by descriptive (mean, SD) and analytical tests (Pearson, ANOVA, and post hoc test (Bonferroni)). Validity of P-MEX was approved in the field of dentistry. The mean score of professional behavior in residents were reported 2.79 ± 0.24, with minimum and maximum scores of 2.17 and 3.62, respectively. The residents' professional behavior in the domain of reflective skills and doctor-patient relationship skills were lower than the other domains. The results showed that the scores of professional behavior among dental residents were classified in the below expectation level and their scores have followed a downward trend from the second year. Therefore, planning for training and continuous assessment of professional behavior among residents in the faculty of dentistry should be considered.