Medical education
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Review
Patient involvement in teaching and assessing intimate examination skills: a systematic review.
There are recognised difficulties in teaching and assessing intimate examination skills that relate to the sensitive nature of the various examinations and the anxiety faced by novice learners. This systematic review provides a summary of the evidence for the involvement of real patients (RPs) and simulated patients (SPs) in the training of health care professionals in intimate examination skills. ⋯ There is evidence of a short-term positive impact of patient involvement in the teaching and assessment of intimate examination skills; however, evidence of longer-term impact is still limited. The influences of sexuality and anxiety related to such examinations are explored to some extent, but the psychological impact on learners and patients is not well addressed.
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There is increasing agreement that graduates who finish tertiary education with the full complement of skills and knowledge required for their designated profession are not 'work-ready' unless they also acquire interpersonal, collaborative practice and team-working capabilities. Health workers are unable to contribute to organisational culture in a positive way unless they too attain these capabilities. These capabilities have been shown to improve health care in terms of patient safety, worker satisfaction and health service efficiency. Given the importance of interprofessional learning (IPL) which seeks to address these capabilities, why is IPL not consistently embedded into the education of undergraduates, postgraduates and vocationally qualified personnel through formal assessment? ⋯ Assessment drives learning and without formal assessment IPL will continue to be viewed as an optional topic of little relative importance for learners. In order to make the next step forward, IPL needs to be recognised and endorsed through formal assessment, both at the tertiary education level and within the workplace environment. This is supported by workforce initiatives and tertiary education policy which can be used to specify the capabilities or generic skills necessary for effective teamwork and collaborative practice.
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The profession of medicine has long been characterised by virtues such as authorisation, specialisation, autonomy, self-regulation and adherence to an ethical code of practice, and its complexity has granted it the privilege of self-regulation. Studies have shown continuing professional development (CPD) for general practitioners (GPs) to be most effective when it is set up within a multi-method design. This paper reports a research-based evaluation of a 2-year educational CPD project for 21 GPs. ⋯ The results suggest that general practitioners need to establish a common platform of shared experiences before engaging in multi-professional CPD. Participation in the supervision allowed the three groups of GPs to develop their professional skills, but left them with a desire for more training in establishing cooperative practices with their partners in care. The professional challenges discussed during the supervision sessions were important elements of the national GP Curriculum, but not all elements of professionalism were covered.