Abstract
Objective:There are growing concerns towards the quality of medical education in Pakistan. To help strengthen accreditation processes, this study identifies the challenges towards quality assurance of Basic Medical Education in Pakistan.Methods:A qualitative case study was carried out from March to August 2018. Participants included inspectors from various disciplines in both public and private medical colleges, and medical educationists from Pakistan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 inspectors, while focus group discussion included 10 medical educationists. All the interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was conducted to capture the intricacies of meaning within the data.Results:Data identified 14 sub-themes grouped under three major themes. Challenges towards quality assurance included mounting political influence, commercialism in medical education, weak regulatory capacity of accrediting body, violation of rules, lack of valid accreditation standards and skilled inspectors.Conclusion:Quality assurance of Basic Medical Education in Pakistan involves various systemic, resource and personnel related challenges. The accrediting body needs to bring major reforms in its accreditation system and strengthen its regulatory and technical educational capacity to ensure the quality of medical education in nearly 168 medical and dental colleges of the country.
Highlights
In response to the increasing health workforce needs of Pakistan, the number of medical and dental colleges have increased from 22 in 1990 to 168 in 2019.1 With this rapid increase, there are continuing concerns about the quality of education in these colleges.[2]
Medical educators are showing increasing concerns about the nature of current Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) accreditation standards, the accreditation processes and the limited technical capacity of the regulatory body to ensure the quality of medical education in the country.[5]
To help strengthen PM&DC accreditation processes, this study identifies the challenges towards quality assurance of Basic Medical Education in Pakistan
Summary
In response to the increasing health workforce needs of Pakistan, the number of medical and dental colleges have increased from 22 in 1990 to 168 in 2019.1 With this rapid increase, there are continuing concerns about the quality of education in these colleges.[2] The shortage of trained faculty, especially in basic medical sciences, remains a major challenge.[3] Irrespective of the fact that how many doctors are produced and deployed, health professionals cannot contribute to population health and wellbeing effectively, unless they acquire essential competencies through high quality medical education.[4]. It helps ensure that the quality of medical education is in line with the evolving needs of the healthcare delivery system and expectations of society.[5] Medical educators are showing increasing concerns about the nature of current PM&DC accreditation standards, the accreditation processes and the limited technical capacity of the regulatory body to ensure the quality of medical education in the country.[5]
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