The Development of a Competency Assessment Standard for General Practitioners in China

Xin Rao,Xingzhi Xu,Hua Wu,Jinming Lai,Shane Andrew Thomas,Yang Li,Colette Joy Browning

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2020.00023

Xin Rao, Xingzhi Xu + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00023

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Abstract

This paper describes the development of a competency assessment standard for General Practitioners in Shenzhen, China. The standard is to be used for developing and delivering the training curriculum for General Practitioners and to enable rigorous assessment of the mastery of the standards by GP trainees. The requirement for the training of General Practitioners in China is mandated by government policy requires an international standard curriculum to meet the needs of patients and the community. A modified Delphi process was employed to arrive at a curriculum consensus. An expert panel and 14 expert working groups derived from the expert panel were established to review and evaluate national and international competency standards for General Practice and develop a set of standards, through a modified Delphi methodology. Forty three experts were involved in the project. The project resulted in a detailed curriculum statement. The curriculum was then used in 2017 and 2018 where pilot examinations of GP trainees (n = 298 and n = 315, respectively) were conducted to assess the trainee's competencies against the Standards. The examination included two modules, a written test (Module A) and a practical test (Module B). The success rate for participants was relatively low with the majority not successfully completing the assessments. The assessments will be further refined in subsequent work. The project achieved its goal of developing a rigorously evaluated standard to support clinical practice and the training and assessment of GPs.

Highlights

As outlined in other papers by our team [1] in this special issue and by other commentators, the training of large numbers of high quality Chinese General Practice doctors is fundamental to China’s efforts to improve its health system [2, 3]
In the Preparatory Round the Expert Panel participated in 15 workshops, reviewed the content of the existing local and international standards and developed new standards with a focus on China relevant standards and outcome indicators
From the Round 1 review and consultation process five domains of general consulting skills and knowledge were agreed as being core areas for Chinese General Practice (Draft 1 of the standards)

Summary

Introduction

As outlined in other papers by our team [1] in this special issue and by other commentators, the training of large numbers of high quality Chinese General Practice doctors is fundamental to China’s efforts to improve its health system [2, 3]. This paper describes the development and pilot trial of competency standards for General Practice medical training in Shenzhen, China by the Health and Family Planning Capacity Building and Continuing Education Center of Shenzhen Municipality. A key consideration in ensuring high quality service delivery by Chinese General Practice doctors is the development and implementation of rigorous clinical practice standards reinforced by a well-designed and executed training curriculum [5, 6]. International protocols for the development of standards emphasize these two issues as central to the quality and credibility of high-quality clinical standards [10, 11]

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