Introduction to Accreditation: Health Professions Education PDF

Introduction to Accreditation: Health Professions Education Course code: 610 Quality Assurance & Accreditation Learning Objectives By the end of this session, you will be able to: 1. Define profession, regulation, and accreditation. 2. Identify the purpose/benefits of regulation. 3. Describe...

Introduction to Accreditation: Health Professions Education Course code: 610 Quality Assurance & Accreditation Learning Objectives By the end of this session, you will be able to: 1. Define profession, regulation, and accreditation. 2. Identify the purpose/benefits of regulation. 3. Describe the different types of accreditations. 4. Identify the purpose and benefits of accreditation. 5. Differentiate between regulation and accreditation. 6. List the different stages of an accreditation process. 2 What is a Profession Definition by the Australian Council of Professions: A profession is a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as and are accepted by the public as possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely recognised body of learning derived from research, education, and training at a high level, and who are prepared to apply this knowledge and exercise these skills in the interest of others. 3 Regulation of Health Professions Regulation refers to any system that sets rules or restrictions to control and monitor human/professional behaviours. It covers both the education/training, practice of health professionals, and other dimensions such as the regulation of continuing professional development. It may be set at different levels (e.g., national and regional) 4 Regulatory Bodies: Examples Around the World Medical Licensing Department – under the Ministry of Public Health in Qatar General Medical Council (GMC) – UK Ministry of Education and Higher Education – Lebanon National Medical Commission – India Pakistan Medical & Dental Council – Pakistan 5 Regulatory Bodies: Functions/Responsibilities Control entry to the profession + registration + licensing Keep an updated list of the recognised professionals Deal with the complaints received about a professional Set standards for the professional: K, S, and B Set standards for both education and practice Revalidation Foster good medical practice 6 Regulatory Bodies: Purpose Protect the public welfare Ensure patient safety Ensure quality of education and training Promote high standards of care Enforce the monitoring of professional behaviours and adherence to standards Mutual recognition of qualifications between countries Ensure appropriate use of resources for professional training Build and maintain trust/confidence between the patients and profession 7 Accreditation: Definitions VanZanten et al. A review of an educational programme, conducted by a governmental organisation or a private entity accountable at a government level, based on publicised standards and predetermined protocols. World Federation for Medical Education Accreditation is the certification of the suitability of medical education programmes and of the competence of medical schools in the delivery of medical education. 8 Accreditation: Meaning Accreditation is the process by which an independent accrediting agency judges/assesses the quality of an educational institution by reviewing and evaluating the institution and/or medical programme using a set of predetermined criteria. It is also a status that informs the public that an educational institution and/or medical programme is able to meet the required standards. 9 Accreditation: Types Institutional accreditation vs. programme/specialised accreditation Voluntary accreditation vs. mandatory National accreditation vs. regional accreditation 10 Accreditation: Benefits Quality assurance: Institutions are evaluated against well-defined standards related to various aspects of a programme (faculty, curriculum, etc.) Stimulate improvement in training and education Provide assurance to all the interested parties (teachers/practitioners, students, etc.) Facilitate mobility of students/trainees and teachers Protect public welfare and ensure patient safety 11 Sudden Increase in Accreditation Efforts: Reasons The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates Announcement ‘Starting 2024, applicants for ECFMG Certification will be required to be a student or graduate of a medical school that is appropriately accredited. More specifically, the medical school must be accredited by an agency recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME).’ World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) Non-governmental organisation Objective: Enhance the quality of medical education worldwide, with promotion of the highest scientific and ethical standards in medical education Sets standards for medical education These are a global medical education expert consensus on the best practice minimum requirements (basic standards) and standards for quality improvement. ECFMG Announcement: Reason To encourage the development and implementation of standards for evaluating undergraduate medical education and to provide greater assurance to both medical students and public so that they will be trained appropriately. 12 Stages of Accreditation Process Stage 1- Identify the accrediting body and agree on the standards Stage 2- Prepare and submit a self-evaluation report Stage 3- Site visit by an accrediting team Stage 4- Accreditation team submits its report to the decision-making body Stage 5- Decision on Accreditation 13 Stage 1: Identify the Accrediting Body and Standards Accreditation of Medical Education Accreditation of medical education is normally carried out by a governmental or intergovernmental entity, or by an independent body that received authority from national governments. Examples of Accrediting Bodies LCME: the accrediting body of North American medical schools The Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Medical Education Programs A list of known accrediting agencies for each country can be found by referring to the Directory of Organizations that Recognize/Accredit Medical Schools. 14 Stage 1: Identify the Accrediting Body and Standards Cont. Standards Accreditation must be based on the agreed standards. These standards need to be predetermined and publicised. Each accrediting body tends to use its own standards. Such standards may be mapped to the global standards: the WFME Global Standards for Quality Improvement in Medical Education. 15 Stage 1: Identify the Accrediting Body and Standards Cont. Different Versions of the WFME Global Standards 2015 2020 Mission and Outcomes Mission and Values Educational Programme Curriculum Assessment of Students Assessment Students Students Academic Staff/Faculty Academic Staff Educational Resources Educational Resources Program Evaluation Quality Assurance Governance and Governance and Administration Administration Continuous Renewal 16 Stage 2: Preparing and Submitting a Self-Evaluation Report Overview Self-review is a rigorous self-analysis of an institution and/or educational programme against a set of predetermined standards. It entails data collection, analysis, reflection, identification of areas of strengths, weaknesses, and the determination of improvement plans. Importance Self-review is a necessary step to be undertaken by all the institutions seeking formal statutory approval (meeting regulation/accreditation needs) or quality assurance and development. 17 Stage 3 and 4 Stage 3: Site Visit Accreditation team will visit the site or college campus and interact with the members. Stage 4: Submitting a Report Accreditation team will submit its report to the decision-making body. 18 Stage 5: Decision on Accreditation Outcome of the Accreditation Process As per the WHO/WFME guidelines: Full accreditation Conditional accreditation No accreditation 19 Accreditation and Regulation Regulation A regulator enforces standards, codes, or regulations and has legal power and governance over the regulation. Accreditation An accreditation body has no such mandate or power. Accreditation is done on a voluntary basis, but accreditation can be mandated by the regulators. 20 References Al Mohaimeed, A., Midhet, F., & Barrimah, I. (2012). Academic accreditation process: Experience of a medical college in Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Health Sciences, 6(1), 23–29. https://doi.org/10.12816/0005970 Australian Council of Professions. (2003). What is a profession? Australian Council of Professions. https://www.professions.org.au/what-is-a-professional/ Bedoll, D., McKinley, D., & van Zanten, M. (2021). Global trends in medical education accreditation. Human Resources for Health, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960- 021-00588-x Boulet, J. R., Norcicni, J. J., Simon, F., & van Zanten, M. (2008). Overview of accreditation of undergraduate medical education programmes worldwide. Medical Education, 42(9), 930–937. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.2008.03092.x Boulet, J., & van Zanten, M. (2013). Ensuring high-quality patient care: The role of accreditation, licensure, specialty certification and revalidation in medicine. Medical Education, 48(1), 75–86. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.12286 21 References Durante Montiel, I., McKinley, D., Pijano, C. V., & van Zanten, M. (2012). Medical education accreditation in Mexico and the Philippines: Impact on student outcomes. Medical Education, 46(6), 586–592. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2923.2011.04212.x Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. (n.d.). http://www.ecfmg.org/accreditation/index.html The General Medical Council. (n.d.). What we do. https://www.gmc-uk.org The World Federation for Medical Education. (2021, July 15). Accreditation. https://wfme.org/accreditation/ The World Federation for Medical Education. (2021-a, December 6). BME standards. https://wfme.org/standards/bme/ The World Federation for Medical Education. (2021-b, August 22). World Directory of Medical Schools - WFME Projects. https://wfme.org/world-directory/ 22 Credit The following faculty is attributed with the slides and ideas of this session: Dr. Nathalie 23