Omayma Hamed’s research while affiliated with Armed Forces College of Medicine and other places

Background Competencies-based education has gained global recognition, emphasizing the need for educators to align educational outcomes with healthcare system requirements. However, limited literature exists on competency frameworks and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) specific to health professions educationists, hindering the development of tailored Master’s programs. Aim This study aimed to develop a competency framework outlining the roles and functions for Master’s learners in Health Professions Education (MHPE) and identify the key EPAs that form the foundation of a task-based MHPE curriculum, along with the expected levels of entrustment. Methods An international Delphi study was conducted involving three rounds of surveys and qualitative discussions with an expert panel of health professions educationists from diverse contexts (n = 29). The Delphi technique, including open-ended and quantitative rating scales, was employed to reach consensus on the EPAs and their levels of entrustment. The final list of EPAs was validated using the EQual rubric. Results A total of 16 EPAs were identified and validated, mapped to core and potential roles and functions of health professions educationists. There is less agreement on the level of entrustment that should be attained at the master level, resulting in EPAs that must be fully entrusted before graduation and others which need further development afterwards. Conclusion The study presents a comprehensive competency framework and a set of EPAs tailored for MHPE programs, providing a structured approach to curriculum design and learner assessment. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating context-specific considerations and aligning educational objectives with the evolving roles and responsibilities of health professions educationists.

Background: Community-oriented education is increasingly prioritized in health professions curricula, but evidence on determinants for effective implementation is dispersed. This study aimed to synthesize the key determinants to guide curriculum design, implementation and evaluation. Methods: This narrative review searched PubMed and Scopus databases for relevant studies which were screened against eligibility criteria. The main search terms that were utilized: (community* or “communityoriented” or “community-oriented curriculum” AND “health professions” OR “health professions education”). Determinants were extracted, analyzed thematically, and synthesized narratively. A concept framework was developed to visualize relationships between determinants. Results: Of 2789 records screened, 88 studies were included. Determinants were organized into eight themes: community needs´ relevance, priority health problems, integration level, community involvement, cultural sensitivity, social accountability, health systems science, and collaboration with organizations. Determinants centered on aligning education with local contexts and priorities through engaged partnerships. The relationships between determinants were suggested. Discussion: This study presents a preliminary framework of determinants crucial for effective community oriented education in health professions curricula. The expected hurdles were discussed and mitigating actions were suggested. Eight key themes were synthesized from disparate literature sources that underscore the importance of aligning educational initiatives with local contexts and emphasizing partnerships with communities. While this proposed framework provides a valuable starting point, further rigorous inquiry and validation through systematic reviews are necessary to establish definitive determinants.

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are units of professional practice that could be observed, assessed, monitored, documented, and entrusted. EPAs when entrusted, outline the physician’s qualifications, and shape the scope of practice. This insight highlights the importance of development of EPAs in all medical specialties including dermatology to ensure the best standards for patient’s care. Development of EPAs-based training program is considered a challenge for clinical educators. In this paper, we describe practical tips and reflections on our experience in developing EPAs in dermatology doctoral training program that could be a guide for dermatology educators to implement EPAs in dermatology training programs.

Background Community-oriented education is increasingly prioritized in health professions curricula but evidence on determinants for effective implementation is dispersed. This scoping review aimed to identify key determinants to guide curriculum design, implementation and evaluation. Methods Databases (PubMed, Scopus) were searched for relevant studies which were screened against eligibility criteria. Determinants were extracted, analysed thematically, and synthesized narratively. A concept framework was developed to visualize relationships between determinants. Results Of 2789 records screened, 88 studies were included. Determinants were organized into 8 themes: community needs relevance, priority health problems, integration level, community involvement, cultural sensitivity, social accountability, health systems science, and collaboration with organizations. Determinants centred on aligning education with local contexts and priorities through engaged partnerships. Relationships between determinants were hypothetical requiring further verification. Conclusion The framework offers a preliminary model of determinants that can direct further rigorous inquiry. Evidence for definitive determinants of community-oriented curricula requires validation through systematic reviews. The results provide an initial synthesis to guide curriculum development pending robust evidence.

Background Making accreditation results easily accessible has become a worldwide essential issue, especially after international standards were created for medical education. The Egyptian Society for Medical Education (ESME) expects Egyptian medical schools to be more open about their accreditation results to build trust with students, families, and the community. This will help ensure newly graduated doctors are of high quality. Our literature review found almost no information on how transparent Egyptian medical school websites are with posting their accreditation results. Students and families use these websites to choose schools and be confident in the quality of education, so accreditation results should be easily accessible. Methods This study was conducted to estimate the information transparency of Egyptian medical colleges’ websites regarding their accreditation process. Twenty-five official websites of Egyptian medical colleges, as well as official website of the National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Education (NAQAAE) were reviewed. The websites’ search considers two main criteria for transparency. Each criterion is further divided into several information items. Data was recorded and analyzed using Research Electronic Data Capture software (REDCap). The authors excluded, from the data analysis, newly established schools of less than five years of age that were not required to apply for accreditation yet. Results The results of the research showed that only thirteen colleges registered their credentials on their websites. However, the amount of data available about the process, dates, and documents was very limited. Accreditation information for these thirteen schools is confirmed by information on the NAQAAE website. Other information on other important elements such as accountability and future plans was almost completely missing. Conclusion: The authors concluded that due to the lack of basic information on the websites of Egyptian medical schools about their institutional accreditation status, serious steps should be taken by medical schools and the National Accreditation Authority to encourage openness and ensure transparency towards institutional accreditation.

Background: Transparency in providing information in higher education became a very important and basic matter especially after internationalization of medical education. The Egyptian Society for Medical Education (ESME) aspires that Egyptian medical schools would work more towards transparency and openness for greater effective feedback. Literature review revealed almost zero results related to the transparency situation in Egyptian medical schools. Methods: This study was carried out to estimate the transparency of medical schools’ websites information concerning their accreditation process through reviewing forty Egyptian medical schools’ official websites, as well as through the National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Education (NAQAAE) website searching for two major transparency criteria. Each criterion was further subdivided into several information elements. Data were registered and analyzed using the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap). Authors excluded, from data analysis, the newly established schools that are less than five years which were not obliged to apply for accreditation yet. Results: Research results showed that only thirteen colleges recorded being accredited on their websites; however very limited amount of data was available about the process, dates, and documents. The accreditation information of these thirteen schools was confirmed by information on NAQAAE website. Other information concerning other important elements such as accountability and future plans were almost completely missing. Conclusion: Authors concluded that due to lack of essential information on the Egyptian medical schools' websites about their institutional accreditation situation, serious steps should be taken from both the medical schools and the national accrediting body to encourage the openness and to ensure the transparency towards the accreditation process and results in Egypt.