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A novel approach to needs assessment in curriculum development: going beyond consensus methods
journal contribution
posted on 2014-01-01, 00:00 authored by C L Gonsalves, Rola AjjawiRola Ajjawi, M Rodger, L VarpioBACKGROUND: Needs assessment should be the starting point for curriculum development. In medical education, expert opinion and consensus methods are commonly employed. AIM: This paper showcases a more practice-grounded needs assessment approach. METHODS: A mixed-methods approach, incorporating a national survey, practice audit, and expert consensus, was developed and piloted in thrombosis medicine; Phase 1: National survey of practicing consultants, Phase 2: Practice audit of consult service at a large academic centre and Phase 3: Focus group and modified Delphi techniques vetting Phase 1 and 2 findings. RESULTS: Phase 1 provided information on active curricula, training and practice patterns of consultants, and volume and variety of thrombosis consults. Phase 2's practice audit provided empirical data on the characteristics of thrombosis consults and their associated learning issues. Phase 3 generated consensus on a final curricular topic list and explored issues regarding curriculum delivery and accreditation. CONCLUSIONS: This approach offered a means of validating expert and consensus derived curricular content by incorporating a novel practice audit. By using this approach we were able to identify gaps in training programs and barriers to curriculum development. This approach to curriculum development can be applied to other postgraduate programs.
History
Journal
Medical teacherVolume
36Issue
5Pagination
422 - 429Publisher
Taylor & FrancisLocation
London, Eng.Publisher DOI
eISSN
1466-187XLanguage
engPublication classification
C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2014, Taylor & FrancisUsage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
CanadaConsensusCurriculumData CollectionDelphi TechniqueEducation, MedicalHumansNeeds AssessmentPractice Patterns, Physicians'ThrombosisSocial SciencesScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineEducation, Scientific DisciplinesHealth Care Sciences & ServicesEducation & Educational ResearchCONTINUING MEDICAL-EDUCATIONCOMPETENCECARETOOL
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