Evaluating PBL sessions: What do experts propose?

1. Evaluating PBL sessions: What do experts propose? Carme Carrion1,2, Mònica Soler3, Marta Aymerich1,2 1TransLab Research Group, Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Girona, Catalonia 2Fundació UdGMedicina, Catalonia. 3Medical Education Unit, University of Girona, Catalonia • CONTENT:Problem-based learning (PBL) is the main strategy used on the curriculum of the University of Girona’s medical degree, comprising more than 60% of each educational module. It focuses not only on evaluating medical knowledge and skills, but also on appraisal of students’ learning and teamwork abilities, communication skills and sense of responsibility, that is, professional values and attitudes, often referred to as professionalism. The aim of this study was to analyze experts’ opinion about which concrete items should be considered when evaluating PBL sessions. • METHODS: Open-ended individual not-anonymous semi-structured questionnaire asking about possible items related to four main professionalism dimensions (learning abilities, communication, responsibility and interpersonal relationships) were sent to seven medical education experts. Data were coded and analyzed by three independent researchers, who through discussion identified and groupedexperts’ proposals as well as matched them to the items of the University of Girona Medical School questionnaire to evaluate professionalism. • RESULTS: A qualitative analysis of the experts’ opinions revealed 20 items which are considered relevant in evaluating professional training of medical students, classified in the 4 proposed dimensions, being responsibility and interpersonal relationships the ones with most items considered. • CONCLUSIONS: Not only medical knowledge and skills should be developed and evaluated in medical training, but also commitment to a set of professional values. Aspects such as: honesty, integrity, empathy, compassion, reliability, commitment or sensitivity, between others, should also be included in a questionnaire used to evaluate students’ professionalism values and attitudes during PBL sessions. Contact: carme.carrion@udg.edu