• Daniel Nel, Eduard Jonas, Vanessa Burch, Lydia Cairncross, Amy Nel, Adnan Alseidi, Brian George, and Olle Ten Cate.
• Department of Surgery, Groote Schuur Hospital and University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
• Ann. Surg. 2024 Jun 17.

ObjectiveTo provide an overview of the current use of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) in postgraduate general surgery training internationally.BackgroundEntrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) were introduced to connect clinical competencies and the professional activities to be entrusted to trainees on graduation. The popularity of EPAs as a framework for assessment is growing globally, including in general surgery. Anecdotally, there appears to be substantial variation in how they are implemented, yet a formal comparison of their use in postgraduate general surgery training is lacking.MethodsA scoping review was performed, based on the original five-stage approach described by Arksey and O'Malley with the addition of protocol-specific items from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR).ResultsTwenty-nine published and grey literature sources were included in the review. Entrustable Professional Activity use in postgraduate general surgery training was identified in 11 unique contexts, including from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. There were substantial differences in the scope and number of EPAs, tools used for EPA assessment, and how EPAs were sequenced through training. Despite wide variation, eight distinct EPAs were common to the majority (>80%) of countries. Several articles described findings of EPA use in postgraduate general surgery training, allowing identification of multiple barriers and facilitators to integration.ConclusionsThis review provides guidance for certification and regulatory bodies, program directors, and institutions with ambitions to implement EPAs for assessment and curricular design. In settings where EPAs are already used, the data may facilitate refinement of programs and strategies.Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

6 keywords...

hide…