Masters Degrees (Centre for Health Professions Education)
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Browsing Masters Degrees (Centre for Health Professions Education) by Author "Eksteen, Lawson Barry"
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- ItemFactors influencing the decision-making process of clinician family physicians during workplace-based assessments in the Western Cape, South Africa(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Eksteen, Lawson Barry; De Villiers, Marietjie René; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Global Health. Health Systems and Public Health.ENGLISH SUMMARY: The integration of Workplace-Based Assessment (WBA) methods into medical education has become more frequently used, bringing assessments into clinical settings. The decision-making process in WBA, crucial for shaping trainee performance and clinician Family Physicians judgments, is intricately influenced by several factors. Understanding these factors is pivotal for advancing assessment outcomes in Health Professions Education. This exploratory, descriptive qualitative research delves into the decision-making process of Family Physicians during mini Clinical Evaluation Exercise (mini-CEX) assessments on postgraduate trainee registrars in Family Medicine. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six clinician family physicians based in district hospitals who regularly conduct WBA as part of clinical training. Registrars are trained in either small (one supervisor), medium (two supervisors) or large (three or more supervisors) training complexes, and some registrars would be assessed by the same supervisor for the whole training period. This study was conducted to gather in-depth insights into the perceptions that guide their decision-making. The results highlighted a diverse array of factors influencing the decision-making process of Family Physicians conducting mini-CEX evaluations on postgraduate registrars. Each clinician Family Physician has a unique perception of WBA, as well as a specific approach and framework when conducting WBA in the primary setting. Three overarching themes emerged from the data, namely context, relationships, and the educational environment. From these themes, the contextual background was most prominent, and especially the opportunity to use interruptions as learning opportunities. The unique relationship between the supervisor and trainee were also described as a significant factor, and although this can be multifaceted and challenging, it also gives opportunity for richer feedback and more extensive professional growth. The specific educational environment is also a major factor, where previous training, clinical complexity and the available academic time were most valid. These themes underscore the complexity of decision-making in WBA, and although intricate and diverse, hold a pivotal role in the decision-making dynamics, challenging the conventional view of variability as mere human error. These factors should not be viewed as a flawed human error of assessment, but rather different professional elements of clinical characteristics that takes assessment practices in the workplace to a deeper and richer degree of clinical competence.