Objective This study aimed to explore the characteristics and deficiencies of the current standardized training evaluation system for general practitioners (including professional master’s degrees), analyze the awareness and attitudes of teaching physicians toward entrustable professional activities (EPAs), and to explore feasible solutions for establishing an EPAs evaluation and assessment system for general practitioners in training. Methods This study used a questionnaire survey to investigate 158 clinical teaching professionals, analyzed the current status of the standardized training evaluation system for general practitioners, and explored the level of understanding and opinions of teaching physicians on EPAs. Results Currently, there were many assessments for trained general practitioner residents, but there were problems with excessive formalization, single assessment methods, and a focus on written assessments. The recognition rate of EPAs among preceptors before training was only 15.9%, which increased to 71.51% after training. The EPA system could improve understanding and facilitate rapid implementation in the short term (P<0.001). While recognizing the concept of EPAs, preceptors also suggested simplifying the EPA system. Conclusion To address the shortcomings of the current standardized training evaluation system for general practitioners, targeted work should be carried out to design EPAs for professional confidence behaviors. A concise and practical EPAs evaluation system should be established for general practitioners. In addition, teaching staff should be trained and educated on EPAs to improve their teaching competence and ensure the output of general medical education.
ObjectiveUnder the background of standardized training for general practitioners (including professional master’s degree in general practice), this study aimed to explore a feasible scheme for establishing an evaluation and assessment system for entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for general residency training based on the current application status and objective demands of EPAs by clinical teaching physicians. MethodsA questionnaire survey was conducted among 158 clinical teaching physicians to analyze the current evaluation system for standardized training of general practitioners, as well as their understanding and suggestions on EPAs. ResultsCompared with the emphasis on medical knowledge and skills, the humanistic care, represented by medical ethics education, was found to be insufficient in the standardized training of general practitioners. Regarding actual demands, the order of importance of EPAs by teaching physicians was as follows: standardization (93.04%), objectification (93.04%), multidimensionality (92.41%), lightness (90.51%), and diversity (86.04%). ConclusionAn EPA system for professional confidence based on the actual demands of standardized training for general practitioners in China should be designed to address the shortcomings of humanistic education. This system will improve the teaching competence of faculty and guarantee the output of general medical education.