Entrustable Professional Activities in Medical Students

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

1. The EPA criteria have given rise to the concept of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) against the traditional Time-Based Education (TBE) implied to achieve levels of entrustment. (1)
2. Many residency programs have successfully been incorporating EPA in medical education at the graduate level. (2)
3. However, not much work concerning EPA has been done in undergraduate medical education (UME).

OBJECTIVES:

• To summarize and contrast evidence about

         EPAs in UME

• To identify gaps in current research about

         EPAs in UME

• To suggest further directions of research in the

         subject matter.

METHODS:

• 2 Databases: PubMed & Google Scholar
• Search conducted in August
• Strategy: Entrustable professional activit* AND ((student*, medical) OR (undergrad*)) and all other relevant terms
• Review conducted according to PRISMA
• Initial search results = 324
• Screening by 2 researchers
• Discrepancies solved by another researcher
• Data extracted and compiled
• RESULTS:

• Out of the initial 324 search results, 37 were included in the final review.

  Various study characteristics were categorized as depicted.

• CONCLUSION:

• Positively significant results indicate that EPA can serve as a very useful tool for the betterment of UME.
• The various methods of EPA Development, their Implementation in UME, and assessment of entrustment levels should prove to be very helpful.