Diagnosing conflict: Conflicting data, interpersonal conflict, and conflicts of interest in clinical competency committees.

Clinical competency committees (CCCs) are increasingly used within health professions education as their decisions are thought to be more defensible and fairer than those generated by previous training promotion processes. However, as with most group-based processes, it is inevitable that conflict will arise. In this paper the authors explore three ways conflict may arise within a CCC: (1) conflicting data submissions that are presented to the committee, (2) conflicts between members of the committee, and (3) conflicts of interest between a specific committee member and a trainee. The authors describe each of these conflict situations, dissect out the underlying problems, and explore possible solutions based on the current literature.

Patient Factors That Matter in Predicting Hip Arthroplasty Outcomes: A Machine-Learning Approach.

BACKGROUND: Despite the success of total hip arthroplasty (THA), approximately 10%-15% of patients will be dissatisfied with their outcome. Identifying patients at risk of not achieving meaningful gains postoperatively is critical to pre-surgical counseling and clinical decision support. Machine learning has shown promise in creating predictive models. This study used a machine-learning model to identify patient-specific variables that predict the postoperative functional outcome in THA. METHODS: A prospective longitudinal cohort of 160 consecutive patients undergoing total hip replacement for the treatment of degenerative arthritis completed self-reported measures preoperatively and at 3 months postoperatively. Using four types of independent variables (patient demographics, patient-reported health, cognitive appraisal processes and surgical approach), a machine-learning model utilizing Least Absolute Shrinkage Selection Operator (LASSO) was constructed to predict postoperative Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) at 3 months. RESULTS: The most predictive independent variables of postoperative HOOS were cognitive appraisal processes. Variables that predicted a worse HOOS consisted of frequent thoughts of work (ß = -0.34), frequent comparison to healthier peers (ß = -0.26), increased body mass index (ß = -0.17), increased medical comorbidities (ß = -0.19), and the anterior surgical approach (ß = -0.15). Variables that predicted a better HOOS consisted of employment at the time of surgery (ß = 0.17), and thoughts related to family interaction (ß = 0.12), trying not to complain (ß = 0.13), and helping others (ß = 0.22). CONCLUSIONS: This clinical prediction model in THA revealed that the factors most predictive of outcome were cognitive appraisal processes, demonstrating their importance to outcome-based research. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level 1.

What can regulatory bodies do to help implement competency-based medical education?

In response to the numerous challenges resident trainees currently face in their ability to competently acquire the requisite skills, knowledge and attitudes upon graduation, medical educators have looked to a competency-based medical education (CBME) approach as a possible solution. As CBME has already been implemented in many jurisdictions around the world, certain challenges in implementation have been experienced. One important challenge identified relates to how regulatory bodies can either assist or unintentionally hinder implementation. By examining the varied experiences from Canada, the USA and the Netherlands in implementing CBME, this paper identifies how regulatory bodies can support and advance worldwide efforts of furthering its implementation. If regulatory bodies restructure accreditation and regulatory criteria to align with CBME principles, work together in a coordinated fashion to ensure alignment of vital regulatory meaures throughout the training and practice continuum of a physician, and allow for (if not incentivize) individuals and programs to be innovative in adapting CBME to meet their local environments, it is likely that the worldwide implementation of CBME will occur successfully.

Training disrupted: Practical tips for supporting competency-based medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted healthcare systems around the world, impacting how we deliver medical education. The normal day-to-day routines have been altered for a number of reasons, including changes to scheduled training rotations, physical distancing requirements, trainee redeployment, and heightened level of concern. Medical educators will likely need to adapt their programs to maximize learning, maintain effective care delivery, and ensure competent graduates. Along with a continued focus on learner/faculty wellness, medical educators will have to optimize existing training experiences, adapt those that are no longer viable, employ new technologies, and be flexible when assessing competencies. These practical tips offer guidance on how to adapt medical education programs within the constraints of the pandemic landscape, stressing the need for communication, innovation, collaboration, flexibility, and planning within the era of competency-based medical education.

Eight-year outcomes of a competency-based residency training program in orthopedic surgery.

Background: The Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Toronto implemented a pilot residency training program that used a competency-based framework in July of 2009. The competency-based curriculum (CBC) deployed an innovative, modularized approach that dramatically intensified both the structured learning elements and the assessment processes. Methods: This paper discusses the initial curriculum design of the CBC pilot program; the refinement of the curriculum using curriculum mapping that allowed for efficiencies in educational delivery; details of evaluating resident competence; feedback from external reviews by accrediting bodies; and trainee and program outcomes for the first eight years of the program's implementation. Results: Feedback from the residents, the faculty, and the postgraduate residency training accreditation bodies on the CBC has been positive and suggests that the essential framework of the program may provide a valuable tool to other programs that are contemplating embarking on transition to competency-based education. Conclusions: While the goal of the program was not to shorten training per se, efficiencies gained through a modular, competency-based program have resulted in shortened time to completion of residency training for some learners.

Changing the culture of medical training: An important step toward the implementation of competency-based medical education.

OBJECTIVE: The current medical education system is steeped in tradition and has been shaped by many long-held beliefs and convictions about the essential components of training. The objective of this article is to propose initiatives to overcome biases against competency-based medical education (CBME) in the culture of medical education. MATERIALS AND METHODS: At a retreat of the International Competency Based Medical Education (ICBME) Collaborators group, an intensive brainstorming session was held to determine potential barriers to adoption of CBME in the culture of medical education. This was supplemented with a review of the literature on the topic. RESULTS: There continues to exist significant key barriers to the widespread adoption of CBME. Change in educational culture must be embraced by all components of the medical education hierarchy. Research is essential to provide convincing evidence of the benefit of CBME. CONCLUSIONS: The widespread adoption of CBME will require a change in the professional, institutional, and organizational culture surrounding the training of medical professionals.

Implementing competency-based medical education: What changes in curricular structure and processes are needed?

Medical educators must prepare for a number of challenges when they decide to implement a competency-based curriculum. Many of these challenges will pertain to three key aspects of implementation: organizing the structural changes that will be necessary to deliver new curricula and methods of assessment; modifying the processes of teaching and evaluation; and helping to change the culture of education so that the CBME paradigm gains acceptance. This paper focuses on nine key considerations that will support positive change in first two of these areas. Key considerations include: ensuring that educational continuity exists amongst all levels of medical education, altering how time is used in medical education, involving CBME in human health resources planning, ensuring that competent doctors work in competent health care systems, ensuring that information technology supports CBME, ensuring that faculty development is supported, ensuring that the rights and responsibilities of the learner are appropriately balanced in the workplace, preparing for the costs of change, and having appropriate leadership in order to achieve success in implementation.

Overarching challenges to the implementation of competency-based medical education.

Medical education is under increasing pressure to more effectively prepare physicians to meet the needs of patients and populations. With its emphasis on individual, programmatic, and institutional outcomes, competency-based medical education (CBME) has the potential to realign medical education with this societal expectation. Implementing CBME, however, comes with significant challenges. This manuscript describes four overarching challenges that must be confronted by medical educators worldwide in the implementation of CBME: (1) the need to align all regulatory stakeholders in order to facilitate the optimization of training programs and learning environments so that they support competency-based progression; (2) the purposeful integration of efforts to redesign both medical education and the delivery of clinical care; (3) the need to establish expected outcomes for individuals, programs, training institutions, and health care systems so that performance can be measured; and (4) the need to establish a culture of mutual accountability for the achievement of these defined outcomes. In overcoming these challenges, medical educators, leaders, and policy-makers will need to seek collaborative approaches to common problems and to learn from innovators who have already successfully made the transition to CBME.

Simulation for Teaching Orthopaedic Residents in a Competency-based Curriculum: Do the Benefits Justify the Increased Costs?

BACKGROUND: Although simulation-based training is becoming widespread in surgical education and research supports its use, one major limitation is cost. Until now, little has been published on the costs of simulation in residency training. At the University of Toronto, a novel competency-based curriculum in orthopaedic surgery has been implemented for training selected residents, which makes extensive use of simulation. Despite the benefits of this intensive approach to simulation, there is a need to consider its financial implications and demands on faculty time. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: This study presents a cost and faculty work-hours analysis of implementing simulation as a teaching and evaluation tool in the University of Toronto's novel competency-based curriculum program compared with the historic costs of using simulation in the residency training program. METHODS: All invoices for simulation training were reviewed to determine the financial costs before and after implementation of the competency-based curriculum. Invoice items included costs for cadavers, artificial models, skills laboratory labor, associated materials, and standardized patients. Costs related to the surgical skills laboratory rental fees and orthopaedic implants were waived as a result of special arrangements with the skills laboratory and implant vendors. Although faculty time was not reimbursed, faculty hours dedicated to simulation were also evaluated. The academic year of 2008 to 2009 was chosen to represent an academic year that preceded the introduction of the competency-based curriculum. During this year, 12 residents used simulation for teaching. The academic year of 2010 to 2011 was chosen to represent an academic year when the competency-based curriculum training program was functioning parallel but separate from the regular stream of training. In this year, six residents used simulation for teaching and assessment. The academic year of 2012 to 2013 was chosen to represent an academic year when simulation was used equally among the competency-based curriculum and regular stream residents for teaching (60 residents) and among 14 competency-based curriculum residents and 21 regular stream residents for assessment. RESULTS: The total costs of using simulation to teach and assess all residents in the competency-based curriculum and regular stream programs (academic year 2012-2013) (CDN 155,750, USD 158,050) were approximately 15 times higher than the cost of using simulation to teach residents before the implementation of the competency-based curriculum (academic year 2008-2009) (CDN 10,090, USD 11,140). The number of hours spent teaching and assessing trainees increased from 96 to 317 hours during this period, representing a threefold increase. CONCLUSIONS: Although the financial costs and time demands on faculty in running the simulation program in the new competency-based curriculum at the University of Toronto have been substantial, augmented learner and trainer satisfaction has been accompanied by direct evidence of improved and more efficient learning outcomes. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The higher costs and demands on faculty time associated with implementing simulation for teaching and assessment must be considered when it is used to enhance surgical training.

Cognitive and Psychomotor Entrustable Professional Activities: Can Simulators Help Assess Competency in Trainees?

BACKGROUND: An entrustable professional activity describes a professional task that postgraduate residents must master during their training. The use of simulation to assess performance of entrustable professional activities requires further investigation. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: (1) Is simulation-based assessment of resident performance of entrustable professional activities reliable? (2) Is there evidence of important differences between Postgraduate Year (PGY)-1 and PGY-4 residents when performing simulated entrustable professional activities? METHODS: Three entrustable professional activities were chosen from a list of competencies: management of the patient for total knee arthroplasty (TKA); management of the patient with an intertrochanteric hip fracture; and management of the patient with an ankle fracture. Each assessment of entrustable professional activity was 40 minutes long with three components: preoperative management of a patient (history-taking, examination, image interpretation); performance of a technical procedure on a sawbones model; and postoperative management of a patient (postoperative orders, management of complications). Residents were assessed by six faculty members who used checklists based on a modified Delphi technique, an overall global rating scale as well as a previously validated global rating scale for the technical procedure component of each activity. Nine PGY-1 and nine PGY-4 residents participated in our simulated assessment. We assessed reliability by calculating the internal consistency of the mean global rating for each activity as well as the interrater reliability between the faculty assessment and blinded review of videotaped encounters. We sought evidence of a difference in performance between PGY-1 and PGY-4 residents on the overall global rating scale for each station of each entrustable professional activity. RESULTS: The reliability (Cronbach's α) for the hip fracture activity was 0.88, it was 0.89 for the ankle fracture activity, and it was 0.84 for the TKA activity. A strong correlation was seen between blinded observer video review and faculty scores (mean 0.87 [0.07], p < 0.001). For the hip fracture entrustable professional activity, the PGY-4 group had a higher mean global rating scale than the PGY-1 group for preoperative management (3.56 [0.5] versus 2.33 [0.5], p < 0.001), postoperative management (3.67 [0.5] versus 2.22 [0.7], p < 0.001), and technical procedures (3.11 [0.3] versus 3.67 [0.5], p = 0.015). For the TKA activity, the PGY-4 group scored higher for postoperative management (3.5 [0.8] versus 2.67 [0.5], p = 0.016) and technical procedures (3.22 [0.9] versus 2.22 [0.9], p = 0.04) than the PGY-1 group, but no difference for preoperative management with the numbers available (PGY-4, 3.44 [0.7] versus PGY-1 2.89 [0.8], p = 0.14). For the ankle fracture activity, the PGY-4 group scored higher for postoperative management (3.22 [0.8] versus 2.33 [0.7], p = 0.18) and technical procedures (3.22 [1.2] versus 2.0 [0.7], p = 0.018) than the PGY-1 groups, but no difference for preoperative management with the numbers available (PGY-4, 3.22 [0.8] versus PGY-1, 2.78 [0.7], p = 0.23). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study show that simulated assessment of entrustable professional activities may be used to determine the ability of a resident to perform professional tasks that are critical components of medical training. In this manner, educators can ensure that competent performance of these skills in the simulated setting occurs before actual practice with patients in the clinical setting.

The treatment of periprosthetic fractures.

The management of periprosthetic fractures is an issue of increasing importance for orthopaedic surgeons. Because of the expanding indications for total joint arthroplasty (TJA) and an aging population with increasingly active lifestyles, the incidence of primary and revision TJA is increasing, and there is a corresponding increase in the prevalence of periprosthetic fractures about a TJA. The management of these fractures is often complex because of issues with obtaining fixation around implants, dealing with osteopenic bone or compromised bone stock, and the potential need for revising loose TJA components. In addition, these injuries frequently occur in frail, elderly patients, and the literature has demonstrated that both morbidity and mortality in these patients is similar to that of the geriatric hip fracture population. As such, the early restoration of function and ambulation is critical in patients with these injuries, and effective surgical strategies to achieve these goals are essential.

How to assess communication, professionalism, collaboration and the other intrinsic CanMEDS roles in orthopedic residents: use of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).

BACKGROUND: Assessing residents' understanding and application of the 6 intrinsic CanMEDS roles (communicator, professional, manager, collaborator, health advocate, scholar) is challenging for postgraduate medical educators. We hypothesized that an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) designed to assess multiple intrinsic CanMEDS roles would be sufficiently reliable and valid. METHODS: The OSCE comprised 6 10-minute stations, each testing 2 intrinsic roles using case-based scenarios (with or without the use of standardized patients). Residents were evaluated using 5-point scales and an overall performance rating at each station. Concurrent validity was sought by correlation with in-training evaluation reports (ITERs) from the last 12 months and an ordinal ranking created by program directors (PDs). RESULTS: Twenty-five residents from postgraduate years (PGY) 0, 3 and 5 participated. The interstation reliability for total test scores (percent) was 0.87, while reliability for each of the communicator, collaborator, manager and professional roles was greater than 0.8. Total test scores, individual station scores and individual CanMEDS role scores all showed a significant effect by PGY level. Analysis of the PD rankings of intrinsic roles demonstrated a high correlation with the OSCE role scores. A correlation was seen between ITER and OSCE for the communicator role, while the ITER medical expert and total scores highly correlated with the communicator, manager and professional OSCE scores. CONCLUSION: An OSCE designed to assess the intrinsic CanMEDS roles was sufficiently valid and reliable for regular use in an orthopedic residency program.

CONTEXTE: Évaluer la compréhension et l'application des 6 rôles intrinsèques CanMEDS (communicateur, professionnel, gestionnaire, collaborateur, promoteur de la santé, érudit) chez les résidents pose un défi pour les responsables de la formation médicale postdoctorale. Nous avons émis l'hypothèse selon laquelle un examen clinique objectif structuré (ECOS) conçu pour évaluer plusieurs rôles CanMEDS intrinsèques serait suffisamment fiable et valide. MÉTHODES: L'ECOS comportait 6 stations de 10 minutes, permettant chacune d'évaluer 2 rôles intrinsèques à l'aide de scénarios basés sur des cas (avec ou sans recours à des patients standardisés). Les résidents ont été notés au moyen d'échelles en 5 points et d'une évaluation globale de leur rendement à chacune des stations. La validité convergente a été vérifiée par corrélation avec les rapports d'évaluation en cours de formation (RÉF) des 12 mois précédents et un classement chiffré créé par les directeurs du programme (DP). RÉSULTATS: Vingt-cinq résidents des années 0, 3 et 5 y ont participé. La fiabilité interstation pour les scores totaux aux tests (en pourcentage) a été de 0,87, tandis que la fiabilité pour chacun des rôles de communicateur, collaborateur, gestionnaire et professionnel, a été supérieure à 0,8. Les scores totaux aux tests, les scores aux stations individuelles et les scores pour les rôles CanMEDS individuels ont tous fait état d'un effet significatif selon le niveau des résidents. L'analyse des classements établis par les DP quant aux rôles intrinsèques a révélé une forte corrélation avec les scores au test ECOS pour les rôles. On a observé une corrélation entre les RÉF et l'ECOS pour le rôle de communicateur, tandis que les RÉF pour le rôle d'expert médical et les scores totaux ont été en forte corrélation avec les scores de l'ECOS pour les rôles de communicateur, de gestionnaire et de professionnel. CONCLUSION: Un ECOS conçu pour évaluer les rôles CanMEDS intrinsèques s'est révélé suffisamment valide et fiable pour un usage régulier dans un programme de résidence en orthopédie.

Competency-based education: a new model for teaching orthopaedics.

The current methods used to train residents to become orthopaedic surgeons are based on tradition, not evidence-based models. Educators have only a limited ability to assess trainees for competency using validated tests in various domains. The reduction in resident work hours limits the time available for clinical training, which has resulted in some calls for lengthening the training process. Another approach to address limited training hours is to focus training in a program that allows residents to graduate from a rotation based on demonstrated competency rather than on time on a service. A pilot orthopaedic residency curriculum, which uses a competency-based framework of resident training and maximizes the use of available training hours, has been designed and is being implemented.

Surgical fellowship training in Canada: what is its current status and is improvement required?

This paper examines current issues concerning surgical fellowship training in Canada. Other than information from a few studies of fellowship training in North America, there are scant data on this subject in the literature. Little is known about the demographic characteristics of those who pursue fellowship training in Canada, what the experiences and expectations are of fellows and their supervisors with respect to the strengths and weaknesses of this level of training, or how this level of education fits in with Canadian undergraduate and postgraduate medical training. We summarize current knowledge about fellowship training in Canada as it pertains to demographic characteristics, finances, work hours, residency training, preparation for clinical and research work and satisfaction with training. Most information on surgical fellowship training comes from the United States. As such, we used information from American studies to supplement the Canadian data. Because a surgical fellowship experience in Canada may be different from that in the United States, we propose that Canadian surgical fellows and their supervisors should be surveyed to gain an understanding of such information. This knowledge could be used to improve surgical fellowship training in Canada.

Entrustable Professional Activities in Orthopaedics.

BACKGROUND: An entrustable professional activity (EPA) is defined as a core task of a specialty that is entrusted to a trainee once sufficient competence has been reached. A group of EPAs reflects the activities that clinicians commonly do on a day-to-day basis. Lists of EPAs have been created for most medical subspecialties, but not orthopaedic surgery. The aim of this study was to create a peer-reviewed list of essential EPAs that a resident must perform independently before completing orthopaedic residency training. METHODS: A focus group of 7 orthopaedic surgeons from the University of Toronto developed a comprehensive list of 285 EPAs. For each subspecialty group, the opinions of at least 15 academic and nonacademic surgeons, as well as subspecialty-trained and non-subspecialty-trained surgeons, were used. The modified Delphi method was used to rank EPAs on a five-point scale from not important to mandatory for a resident to competent before exiting training. Two Delphi rounds were used, using a threshold of >50% of surgeons considering the EPA as mandatory before being considered for the next round. A final list of EPAs was ratified using the focus group of academic surgeons involved in the study. RESULTS: Seventy-five (75) of 107 (70%) surgeons invited responded to the survey. Nearly half (129) of the 285 EPAs were discarded after the first round of Delphi. A further 118 EPAs were discarded after the second Delphi round, leaving 49 final EPAs, across 9 subspecialties in orthopaedic surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Expert consensus was used to create a list of EPAs considered mandatory for completion of resident training in orthopaedics in our province. The final 49 peer-reviewed EPAs will be a valuable benchmark in curriculum design and assessment in orthopaedic surgery in the competency-based era for other programs.

Competency-based resident education-The Canadian perspective.

Canada has been a leader in competency-based medical education for some years. Postgraduate training programs are typically 5 years in duration with opportunities to pursue 2-year subspecialty training after certification in a primary specialty. The introduction of competency-based models in Canada has progressed from a single orthopedic surgery training program at the University of Toronto through the adoption of competency-based medical education in 29 training programs at a single medical school, and the implementation across all 68 disciplines overseen by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. This article outlines the introduction of competency-based medical education in postgraduate medical education in Canada.

Assessment of Technical Skills Competence in the Operating Room: A Systematic and Scoping Review.

PURPOSE: While academic accreditation bodies continue to promote competency-based medical education (CBME), the feasibility of conducting regular CBME assessments remains challenging. The purpose of this study was to identify evidence pertaining to the practical application of assessments that aim to measure technical competence for surgical trainees in a nonsimulated, operative setting. METHOD: In August 2016, the authors systematically searched Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for English-language, peer-reviewed articles published in or after 1996. The title, abstract, and full text of identified articles were screened. Data regarding study characteristics, psychometric and measurement properties, implementation of assessment, competency definitions, and faculty training were extracted. The findings from the systematic review were supplemented by a scoping review to identify key strategies related to faculty uptake and implementation of CBME assessments. RESULTS: A total of 32 studies were included. The majority of studies reported reasonable scores of interrater reliability and internal consistency. Seven articles identified minimum scores required to establish competence. Twenty-five articles mentioned faculty training. Many of the faculty training interventions focused on timely completion of assessments or scale calibration. CONCLUSIONS: There are a number of diverse tools used to assess competence for intraoperative technical skills and a lack of consensus regarding the definition of technical competence within and across surgical specialties. Further work is required to identify when and how often trainees should be assessed and to identify strategies to train faculty to ensure timely and accurate assessment.

Surgical simulation training in orthopedics: current insights.

BACKGROUND: While the knowledge required of residents training in orthopedic surgery continues to increase, various factors, including reductions in work hours, have resulted in decreased clinical learning opportunities. Recent work suggests residents graduate from their training programs without sufficient exposure to key procedures. In response, simulation is increasingly being incorporated into training programs to supplement clinical learning. This paper reviews the literature to explore whether skills learned in simulation-based settings results in improved clinical performance in orthopedic surgery trainees. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A scoping review of the literature was conducted to identify papers discussing simulation training in orthopedic surgery. We focused on exploring whether skills learned in simulation transferred effectively to a clinical setting. Experimental studies, systematic reviews, and narrative reviews were included. RESULTS: A total of 15 studies were included, with 11 review papers and four experimental studies. The review articles reported little evidence regarding the transfer of skills from simulation to the clinical setting, strong evidence that simulator models discriminate among different levels of experience, varied outcome measures among studies, and a need to define competent performance in both simulated and clinical settings. Furthermore, while three out of the four experimental studies demonstrated transfer between the simulated and clinical environments, methodological study design issues were identified. CONCLUSION: Our review identifies weak evidence as to whether skills learned in simulation transfer effectively to clinical practice for orthopedic surgery trainees. Given the increased reliance on simulation, there is an immediate need for comprehensive studies that focus on skill transfer, which will allow simulation to be incorporated effectively into orthopedic surgery training programs.

Removal of an iliosacral screw entrapping the L5 nerve root after failed posterior pelvic ring fixation: a case report.

We present a case of a pelvic ring fracture that was originally treated with anterior symphyseal plating and a misplaced percutaneous iliosacral screw. The anterior extraosseus portion of the misplaced 7.3-mm cannulated screw irritated the L5 nerve root, resulting in a radiculopathy. Subsequent surgery involved and mandated removing the bent screw after open identification and protection of the L5 nerve root to avoid further nerve damage; the sacroiliac joint was subsequently debrided and fused. This case represents a complication of acute percutaneous iliosacral screw fixation of pelvic ring injuries and the subsequent strategy for successful salvage.