Implementation of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) in Postgraduate Training

EPAs (Entrustable Professional Activities/ Anvertraubare Professionalle Aktivitäten/ Activités Professionnelles Confiables) serve as an assessment tool for competency based medical training (CBME), a newly introduced framework in postgraduate medical training in Switzerland. You can find further information on EPAs and CBME here: Formation médicale postgraduée basée sur les compétences | ISFM (siwf.ch)

Currently, we investigate the implementation and use of EPAs mainly in the setting of cardiology training, as this was the first training programme to use EPAs. 

The current studies

The SIWF/ISFM is conducting several studies in collaboration with the Swiss Society of Cardio-logy (SSC) to investigate the use of EPAs. As a pilot project, five cardiology training centres across Switzerland have already been using EPAs since 2022. Now, in 2024, all other cardiology training centres will follow. 
The first study is conducted with representatives from the pilot centres and focuses on the implementation process. The second study involves all cardiology training centres and aims to get an insight into the implementation, use and impact of EPAs especially on learning climate and feedback culture. For the second study, trainees and supervisors of all cardiology training centres in Switzerland will be inquired via an online survey, before and after the implementation of EPAs. 

How the results of these studies are used

Cardiology is playing a pioneering role in the use of EPAs. We try to implement EPAs as effective and helpful as possible. The results from cardiology training centres will be used to improve the use of EPAs directly at their sites and also inform the process for all other medical specialties that will follow with the use of EPAs.

Contact

The study is conducted by Dr. med. Fabienne Schwitz, MME, University Hospital Bern, Inselspital and Dr. med. Eva Hennel, MME, PhD, SIWF. If you have any questions regarding our studies or if you are involved in the use of EPAs in cardiology but have not received an invitational e-mail for the study, please contact [email protected].