Online competency-based resident assessment for the discipline of anesthesiology: a needs assessment

Abstract

In Canada, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) are implementing a model of competency-based medical education (CBME) for all specialty-training programs called Competence by Design (CBD). Anesthesiology is an RCPSC discipline that is represented at all medical schools in Canada and is among the first specialties to adopt CBD. The RCPSC model of CBD includes frequent observations and assessment of resident performance; competence committees review this data in order to make decisions on resident progress. Electronic portfolios are an important enabler in moving to CBD given the volume of assessment data, the complexity of data generated, and the need for comprehensive reporting of resident competence. The purpose of my study was to describe the perceived data needs and challenges of anesthesiology programs when implementing CBD. In stage 1 of my study, stakeholders were interviewed regarding their needs and challenges in handling CBD assessment data. Stakeholders in stage 1 included 13 experts from the RCPSC CBD working group charged with defining the competencies for anesthesiology at the national level. The findings from this stage were used to help structure questions for stage 2 of my study, which included three focus groups. The resident focus group comprised of 4 residents, the faculty focus group comprised of 3 faculty members, and CBD focus group comprised of 5 CBD experts. Participants were recruited from across Canada.