Short Report - Special Collection: Innovative educational methods for FM training in Africa

Developing an electronic portfolio of learning for family medicine training in South Africa

Louis Jenkins, Robert Mash, Mergan Naidoo, Ts’epo Motsohi
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine | Vol 16, No 1 | a4525 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/phcfm.v16i1.4525 | © 2024 Louis Jenkins, Robert Mash, Mergan Naidoo, Ts’epo Motsohi | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 07 March 2024 | Published: 28 June 2024

About the author(s)

Louis Jenkins, Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa; Primary Health Care Directorate, Department of Family, Community and Emergency Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; and Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, George Hospital, Western Cape Department of Health, George, South Africa
Robert Mash, Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
Mergan Naidoo, Discipline of Family Medicine, School of Nursing and Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Ts’epo Motsohi, Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

Workplace-based assessment has become increasingly crucial in the postgraduate training of specialists in South Africa, particularly for family physicians. The development of a Portfolio of Learning (PoL) has been a central focus within the discipline of family medicine for over a decade. Initially, a paper-based portfolio was adopted to collect evidence of learning for 50 out of 85 agreed exit-level outcomes. Stellenbosch University led the conversion of this portfolio into an electronic format, known as e-PoL, utilising Scorion software. The e-PoL was successfully implemented in the Western and Eastern Cape regions and was subsequently adopted nationally under the coordination of the South African Academy of Family Physicians. In 2023, the e-PoL underwent a redesign to gather evidence of learning for 22 entrustable professional activities (EPAs). Key insights from this development process underscore the importance of the PoL in supporting assessment-for-learning rather than merely assessment-of-learning. This necessitates features for feedback and interaction, ensuring that the PoL functions beyond a mere repository of forms. Additionally, the e-PoL should facilitate triangulation, aggregation, and saturation of data points to effectively measure EPAs. Furthermore, the PoL has not only documented learning but has also played a pivotal role in guiding the development of clinical training by explicitly outlining expectations for both registrars and supervisors. While the initial design and development costs are significant, operational costs become affordable when shared across all training programmes.

Keywords

electronic; portfolio of learning; postgraduate; training; assessment; family medicine; South Africa

Sustainable Development Goal

Goal 4: Quality education

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