Accreditation Of Medical Schools Research Articles

Editorial – Commitment Toward Accreditation of Medical Schools During Natural Disasters and War in Sudan

Editorial – Commitment Toward Accreditation of Medical Schools During Natural Disasters and War in Sudan

Accreditation standards items of post-2nd cycle related to the decision of accreditation of medical schools by the Korean Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the accreditation standards items related to the decision of accreditation of medical schools by the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation (KIMEE). The subjects are medical schools in Korea that have received post-2nd cycle accreditation from the KIMEE between 2012 and 2016. Analyses were conducted for differences in accreditation decisions according to the characteristics of medical schools, sufficient ratios of basic standards items, and correlation between standards items related to accreditation decisions. After examining differences in accreditation decisions by the medical school's characteristics, there were no significant correlations between accreditation standard items and accreditation decisions. Second, according to the number of schools that sufficiently or insufficiently met each standard item, from the total of 97 standard items, 20 (20.6%) were sufficiently fulfilled by all medical schools. Standard item 2-5-2 demonstrated the highest insufficiency ratio. Third, with respect to the standard item that had an effect on accreditation decisions, standard item 1-5-1 showed the highest correlation with the sufficiency rate. The validity of accreditation standards items was assured as this study evaluated the post-2nd cycle accreditation standards items regardless of each medical school's characteristics. The accreditation standards items were found to have a meaningful impact on the development of medical schools and qualitative improvement in medical education. The findings are expected to contribute to guaranteeing the validity and reliability of accreditation decisions and raising the quality of accreditation.

THE IMPACT OF INDONESIAN MEDICAL DOCTORS NATIONAL COMPETENCY EXAMINATION (IMDNCE) TOWARDS LEARNING AND CLINICAL PRACTICES: A QUALITATIVE STUDY ON THE INTERNSHIP DOCTORS’ PERSPECTIVES

Background: The implementation of the national licensing examination for medical doctors is expected to have a broad impact on doctors and society. Indonesian Medical Doctor National Competency Examination (IMDNCE; Indonesian: Uji Kompetensi Mahasiswa Program Profesi Dokter or UKMPPD) as an ‘exit exam’ in the medical education process may significantly impact learning and clinical practices. The study’s objective was to explore the impact of IMDNCE on both the learning and clinical practices of doctors.Methods: The study subjects were internship doctors who had passed the IMDNCE. Participants were recruited by purposive sampling based on the ownership status of the institution (state/private) and the accreditation of respective medical schools and participants’ gender. The study participants consisted of 41 internship doctors working in 6 regions from 33 different medical schools out of 75 medical faculties in Indonesia.Results: IMDNCE has a positive influence on learning and clinical practice. The IMDNCE process emphasizes standard competencies that must be mastered and patient management process with current evidence that is not always achieved during clinical education, increasing clinical knowledge and skills, and increasing awareness of professional development. IMDNCE also has very well affected in the development of self-confidence and a sense of responsibility which are essential in clinical practice. In addition to psychological influences, IMDNCE improves competence in clinical skills and promotes good medical practice.

History of the medical education accreditation system in Korea: implementation and activities in the early stages.

Following the opening of 12 new medical schools in Korea in the 1980s, standardization and accreditation of medical schools came to the forefront in the early 1990s. To address the medical community’s concerns about the quality of medical education, the Korean Council for University Education and Ministry of Education conducted a compulsory medical school evaluation in 1996 to see whether medical schools were meeting academic standards or not. This evaluation was, however, a norm-referenced assessment, rather than a criterion-referenced assessment. As a result, the Accreditation Board for Medical Education in Korea (ABMEK) was founded in 1998 as a voluntary organization by the medical community. With full support of the Korean medical community, ABMEK completed its 1st cycle of evaluations of all 41 medical schools from 2000 to 2004. In 2004, ABMEK changed its name to the Korean Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation (KIMEE) as a corporate body. After that, the Korean government paid closer attention to its voluntary accreditation activities. In 2014, the Ministry of Education officially recognized the KIMEE as the 1st professional institute for higher education evaluation and accreditation. The most important lesson learned from ABMEK/KIMEE is the importance of collaboration among all medical education-related organizations, including the Korean Medical Association.

Fostering trust, collaboration, and a culture of continuous quality improvement: A call for transparency in medical school accreditation.

Medical schools provide the foundation for a physician’s growth and lifelong learning. They also require a large share of government resources. As such, they should seek opportunities to maintain trust from the public, their students, faculty, universities, regulatory colleges, and each other. The accreditation of medical schools attempts to assure stakeholders that the educational process conforms to appropriate standards and thus can be trusted. However, accreditation processes are poorly understood and the basis for accrediting authorities’ decisions are often opaque.We propose that increasing transparency in accreditation could enhance trust in the institutions that produce society’s physicians. While public reporting of accreditation results has been established in other jurisdictions, such as Australia and the United Kingdom, North American accrediting bodies have not yet embraced this more transparent approach. Public reporting can enhance public trust and engagement, hold medical schools accountable for continuous quality improvement, and can catalyze a culture of collaboration within the broader medical education ecosystem. Inviting patients and the public to peer into one of the most formative and fundamental parts of their physicians’ professional training is a powerful tool for stakeholder and public engagement that the North American medical education community at large has yet to use.

Evaluation of Curricular Adaptations Using Digital Transformation in a Medical School in Arabian Gulf during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background:Several institutions adopted innovative approaches to ensure continued learning for their students during the COVID-19 pandemic. All curricular innovations should undergo curriculum evaluation; hence, the objective of this paper was to share the salient features of evaluation using faculty and student's feedback on curricular adaptations implemented through digital transformation in a Medical School in Arabian Gulf during the COVID-19 pandemic, using a structured questionnaire.Methodology:After getting informed consent, feedback about acceptability and limitations regarding various aspects of curricular adaptations was obtained from students and faculty, using a structured and validated questionnaire. The response rate from faculty and students was 90% and 60%, respectively. The qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic analysis.Results:About 97% agreed that Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment, ZOOM, and Examsoft platforms were effective for curriculum delivery and assessment. 85% agreed that they were able to maintain online interactivity and 92% conveyed their willingness to continue to use these digital innovations even after the end of pandemic. “Lack of interactivity,” “missed clinical training,” “live sessions were more engaging than recorded ones” were the prominent themes emerged out of thematic analysis. All faculty and students expressed concern over the lack of clinical training involving real patients. All of them expressed appreciation to the university and faculty for their enormous efforts.Conclusion:Innovative ways should be considered to start clinical teaching with real patients, during pandemic. The learning outcomes of digital learning should be validated across all institutions. New indicators related to “digital learning” should be considered for accreditation of medical schools.

Goodness of fit of the items used in the 2nd cycle of evaluation and accreditation of medical schools by the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation based on the Rasch model.

PurposeSince 2004, the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation has been responsible for the evaluation and accreditation of medical schools in Korea. The 2nd cycle of evaluations was conducted from 2007 to 2011. The present study aimed at testing the goodness of fit of the items used in the 2nd cycle of evaluation and accreditation based on the Rasch model.MethodsDichotomous data on 40 medical schools were analyzed using Winsteps, a tool based on the Rasch model that includes goodness-of-fit testing.ResultsTwo of the 109 items had an outfit mean square exceeding 2.0. The other 107 items showed a goodness of fit in the acceptable range for the outfit mean square. All items were in the acceptable range in terms of the infit mean square. Furthermore, 1 school had an outfit mean square exceeding 2.0, while all schools were in the acceptable range for the infit mean square. An outfit mean square value over 2.0 means that an item is a outlier. Therefore, 2 items showed an extreme response relative to the overall response. Meanwhile, the finding of an outfit mean square over 2.0 for 1 school means that it showed extraordinary responses to specific items, despite its excellent overall competency.ConclusionThe goodness of fit of the items used for evaluation and accreditation by the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation should be checked so that they can be revised appropriately. Furthermore, the outlier school should be investigated to determine why it showed such an inappropriate goodness of fit.

Accreditation of medical schools in Saudi Arabia: A qualitative study

Context: The accreditation of undergraduate medical education is a universal undertaking. Despite the widespread adoption of accreditation processes and an increasing focus on accreditation as a mechanism to ensure minimum standards are met in various fields, there is little evidence to support the effectiveness of accreditation. Traditionally, accreditation has worked toward achieving two ends: assuring and improving quality. Many recent articles emphasize the need for continuous quality improvement mechanisms to work, as well as the quality assurance role of accreditation.Methods: The aim of the study was to examine the purposes and outcomes of accreditation, and stakeholders’ experience of accreditation in Saudi Arabia. Triangulation of data was achieved through literature review, analysis of accreditation documents, examined the outcome of accreditation process (pre and post) through stakeholders’ experience of accreditation (learner, teacher, and academic leader perspectives). Data were interrogated using thematic analysis approach involving identifying, analyzing, and reporting repeated patterns (themes) of meaning within data.Results: Three themes emerged from the three phase study: "Passing the exam" versus long-term benefit, generic versus specialized accreditation standards, and internal quality assurance and self-evaluation. The data revealed a number of strategies that stakeholders can employ to achieve a balance between an “accreditation threat” and a quality improvement approach that is likely to have a lasting effect on educational outcomes.Discussion: This empirical study revealed strong parallels between assessment and accreditation purpose, engagement, and outcomes. Like an increasing number of commentaries in the literature, this study suggests that accreditation bodies would do well to shift toward a holistic approach to quality management in medical education; implementation of quality improvement by an external “other”—described by some participants as the “policeman approach”—is not ideal for promoting sustainable quality education. Sustainable accreditation for long-term education improvement is not presented as a method, but as a way of thinking about important, and often overlooked, aspects of accreditation practice. Sustainable accreditation means that there is a need to meet both the immediate accreditation standards (“the exam”) as well as establishing a basis for continuing quality improvement.

Making a greater impact on society as a mark of excellence in the accreditation of medical schools

Making a greater impact on society as a mark of excellence in the accreditation of medical schools

Reforming Indigenous health in medical education: Medical school accreditation as a targeted policy initiative

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. AimThe accreditation of medical schools is a key leadership role for the Australian Medical Council (AMC) and its counterparts in other jurisdictions. The aim of our research was to identify how the inclusion of Indigenous health in the accreditation standards has influenced the reporting of activity related to Indigenous health in medical schools.MethodA bi-national review was conducted of the AMC reporting of Indigenous health education initiatives against the accreditation standards from January 2007 to December 2014. Also reviewed was the AMC monitoring of medical schools that occurs via schools' Comprehensive Reports and Progress Reports.ResultsThe study showed that the inclusion of Indigenous-specific standards leads to specific reporting on aspects related to Indigenous peoples in accreditation assessments and monitoring of medical school programs. Where areas in the accreditation standards did not include Indigenous-specific requirements, AMC reporting was unlikely to mention Indigenous matters. ConclusionsThe continuing commitment by the AMC - and comparable bodies in other jurisdictions - to assessing medical education programs against specific Indigenous health standards, represents significant leadership in educating a medical workforce committed to ongoing improvement of Indigenous peoples' health.

Developing Social Accountability Indicators at Medical Schools

Introduction: Medical education is constantly discussed by experts due to its close relationship with the public health from the perspectives of relevance, appropriateness and responsiveness to community needs. There is no consistent general model to evaluate the social accountability of medical schools. This study was conducted to develop indicators of social accountability in medical schools. Methods: Criteria and indicators of social accountability were developed during three stages. In the first stage, after a deep review on the Global Consensus on Social Accountability of Medical Schools (GCSA) and several papers we developed baseline areas, criteria and indicators. In the second stage, during the first round of the Delphi, the tables draft was sent to twenty medical education experts. Then, comments were collected and classified in the first meeting of the focus group discussions and necessary reforms were implemented in the tables. In the third stage and second round of Delphi, the set of revisions were sent the same selected experts. The suggested reforms were applied after collecting the instructors’ comments in the second focus group discussions. Five members of the focus group discussions were selected based on their relevant knowledge and experience in social accountability issues. Results: Ten areas, twenty-eight criteria and ninety-five indicators were developed after three stages of study with two rounds using the Delphi method and two focus group sessions. To clarify the criteria and indicators, we tried to make the developed indicators and criteria practical so that they could be used in the social accountability evaluation of medical schools. Conclusion: According to the importance and key role of social accountability in the medical schools mission, using comprehensive indicators can result in better accreditation and evaluation of medical schools .This study has prepared applicable and comprehensive indicators for evaluation of different aspects of social accountability in medical schools.

Why medical schools are tolerant of unethical behavior.

The exposure to unethical and unprofessional behavior is thought to play a major role in the declining empathy experienced by medical students during their training. We reflect on the reasons why medical schools are tolerant of unethical behavior of faculty. First, there are barriers to reporting unprofessional behavior within medical schools including fear of retaliation and lack of mechanisms to ensure anonymity. Second, deans and directors do not want to look for unethical behavior in their colleagues. Third, most of us have learned to take disrespectful circumstances in health care institutions for granted. Fourth, the accreditation of medical schools around the world does not usually cover the processes or outcomes associated with fostering ethical behavior in students. Several initiatives promise to change that picture.

Medical school accreditation in China: A Sino-Australian collaboration

In 2008, China established a medical school accreditation process based on international standards and guidelines. Twenty schools had been accredited by 2013 and it is intended to accredit all 137 schools by 2020. To achieve this ambitious aim, Chinese medical educators have entered into collaboration with their Australian counterparts, engendered by mutual membership of the Association for Medical Education in the Western Pacific Region, a regional division of the World Federation for Medical Education. The collaboration began in 2000 as informal discussions at regional meetings and has since developed three major components: workshops held throughout China for potential assessors and for medical schools undergoing accreditation; visits by Chinese accreditors to Australia to observe Australian Medical Council processes; and participation by Australian assessors in the accreditation of Chinese medical schools. The incremental steps that led to this unique bi-national venture are outlined in the context of other international developments in accreditation of medical education. Then, the preparation, piloting and implementation of accreditation standards and guidelines with Chinese specifications are described. Finally, the outcomes achieved thus far and the challenges remaining are discussed.

Education, learning and assessment: current trends and best practice for medical educators

Methods of teaching and assessment in medical schools have transformed over the recent past. Accreditation of medical schools through national licensing bodies and removal of bias at examinations is the norm. This review is intended to inform senior doctors who are peripherally involved in training at speciality or general professional level. From the summative assessment of learning, the uses of assessment for learning and formative assessment have transformed the process of education. Student feedback has moved centre stage. The criteria used to rate questions and abilities are made explicit and there is accountability for student and examiner performances. Standard setting for medical professional examinations is formalised through norm or criteria referencing. Objective methods to determine the pass/fail border including Angoff, Ebel, Nedelsky, Bookmark, Hofstee, borderline group and contrast by group are described. There is some evidence for grade inflation over time at universities. Blueprinting by setting test questions to learning objectives is now standard. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination uses a wide variety of case tasks at different stations. Miller's pyramid is the road map for professional competence indication where 'doing' becomes the benchmark standard. Item response theory and computer adaptive testing are available through the Concerto testing platform which is an open resource. Examining the performance of examiners as well as that of students is a necessary part of good examination practice. The World Federation for Medical Education with the World Health Organisation has developed nine standards with two categories of basic and quality for the accreditation of medical education.

Globalization and Maxillofacial Surgery: A Strategy for the Future

The world is globalizing and this trend poses challenges and opportunities for our specialty. As a result of globalization, diseases, patients, providers, trainees, and research are all moving across borders. The current problem is that there is only limited accreditation of healthcare facilities, and no standardized accreditation of medical and dental schools, graduate medical education, clinical research facilities, assessment of clinicians, or licensing of providers. Therefore, there are wide variations in healthcare quality, safety, education, training, and competency among healthcare providers. It is therefore critical that our specialty take a leadership role in limiting these variations and assuring professional competency and high quality clinical care.

Arm-twisting medical schools for core geriatric training

The provision of geriatric training for undergraduate medical students should be a condition of accreditation of medical schools, as well as a competency tested on licensing exams. That stance lies at the core of a campaign by the Canadian Geriatrics Society (CGS) and the National Initiative for the

Quality Assurance in Medical Education: the Nigerian Context

Background: The ultimate goal of medical education is to improve the health of the community. To ensure that medical training achieves this objective, its quality must be assured. Objective: The aim of this presentation is to attempt a definition of quality assurance in the context of medical education, explore its linkage to improved services and outline a framework for its application in Nigeria. Methods: A review of published articles and policy documents on quality assurance in higher education and medical training from different parts of the world, identified through an internet search, was done to distil the current ideas on the subject. Findings: There is a consensus that graduates from training institutions must attain an agreed minimum standard in the quantum of skills and knowledge, as well as the attitudinal disposition that they are expected to acquire in the course of their medical education. This applies to both undergraduate and postgraduate professional training. There is no guarantee that the quality assurance that is implied in enforcing such minimum standards necessarily leads to an improvement in the quality of care that the community receives. Nonetheless, quality assurance should be seen as a first step towards quality improvement. Sustained improvement requires that stakeholders demand quality in service delivery and a credible process of clinical audit, with widespread dissemination of evaluation results, to ensure accountability and maintenance of quality. However, this can only happen if the medical professionals are properly trained in all accredited institutions, a situation that can best be attained by agreement on a common core curriculum and the systematic use of improvement tools, especially the continuing professional development (CPD) of trainers. The National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) are the two bodies that have the legal mandate for the accreditation of medical and dental schools in Nigeria. Both have published separate policy documents on minimum standards of training. There is however no system of audit or formalized CPD in place yet. Conclusions: For proper quality assurance and service improvement in Nigeria, the NUC and the MDCN need to achieve a consensus on the implementation of minimum standards for trainees and trainers, with the former leading the way on curricular issues while the latter sets the pace on quality of training facilities, the credentialing of trainers and their continuing medical education and self development.

The new medical schools in Chile and their influence on the medical scenario

There is concern about the possible consequences caused by the proliferation of private Medical Schools in Chile. Most of these schools have consolidated as health professional training centers, but its presence is changing the scenario of public health and medical profession. The most important consequence is the increase in the number of physicians that will occur, that may exceed the demand of the Chilean population and generate medical unemployment or emigration. There is also concern about the quality of the training process and the preparation and experience of teachers, that derives in the need for accreditation of medical schools. Private Universities are aware of these problems and are working on them. The struggle for clinical fields in the Public Health System has been regulated by an administrative norm of the Ministry of Health.

Las nuevas escuelas de medicina en el panorama médico actual

There is concern about the possible consequences caused by the proliferation of private Medical Schools in Chile. Most of these schools have consolidated as health professional training centers, but its presence is changing the scenario of public health and medical profession. The most important consequence is the increase in the number of physicians that will occur, that may exceed the demand of the Chilean population and generate medical unemployment or emigration. There is also concern about the quality of the training process and the preparation and experience of teachers, that derives in the need for accreditation of medical schools. Private Universities are aware of these problems and are working on them. The struggle for clinical fields in the Public Health System has been regulated by an administrative norm of the Ministry of Health.

Accreditation Standards of Osteopathic and Allopathic Medical Schools: Could They Affect Educational Quality?

Accreditation of medical schools in the United States is the province of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for MD-granting schools, and the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for DO-granting schools. One of the functions of accreditation is to provide medical schools an opportunity for critical self-analysis, which leads to improvement in quality. In some quarters, there are perceptions that the quality of osteopathic education, and therefore the graduates of DO medical schools, are of a lower quality than is the case with MD schools. To examine that assertion, the authors delved into certain aspects of accreditation across the two professions, particularly the structure of the two accrediting bodies, as well as a comparative analysis of certain select accreditation standards, to determine whether these elements demonstrate any differences that could lead to educational quality dissimilarities.The basic structures of the two accrediting bodies are functionally similar except in the way the members are chosen. Also, the LCME has student representation and COCA does not. However, the authors did not think these differences have significant quality implications. In the areas of governance, the major difference is that a for-profit osteopathic school has now been approved, while the relevant LCME standard states that a medical school should be not-for-profit unless there are extraordinary and justifiable circumstances that preclude full compliance with the standard.Relative to academic environment, LCME standards are more expansive, possibly leading to environments where that may enhance student learning. Comparative analysis of several other standards demonstrates some variation, but not enough to conclude that accreditation is a factor in any quality issues across the two professions.