Content of an Educational Handover Letter From Medical Schools to Surgery Residencies

A Mixed Method Analysis

Bibliographic Data

ID21613601
AuthorsJeremy M Lipman (0000-0001-6165-0304, is professor of surgery, Department of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; ORCID:., corresponding author), Young-Shin Park (0000-0001-8583-4335, is associate professor, Harvard Medical School, and director of health professions education research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.), Klara K Papp (0000-0002-4105-3972, is the Graber Term Professor of Health Learning, director, Center for the Advancement of Medical Learning, and director of assessment and program evaluation, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio.), Ara Tekian (0000-0002-9252-1588, is professor and director of international programs, Department of Medical Education, University of Illinois School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois; ORCID:.)
Year2021
Volume96
Issue11S
PagesS136-S143
Publication date2021-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAcademic Medicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1040-2446 • E-ISSN: 1938-808X
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/acm.0000000000004325
PMID34348376
OpenAlexW3190516265
LanguageEN
References cited20

PURPOSE: To identify the content of an educational handover letter from undergraduate to graduate education in General Surgery. METHOD: Expert consensus was attained on the content of an educational handover letter. A 3-stage Delphi technique was employed with 8 experts in each of 4 stakeholder groups: program directors in general surgery, medical student surgical acting internship or prep course directors, authors of medical student performance evaluations, and current categorical General Surgery residents. Data were collected from April through July 2019. A mixed method analysis was performed to quantitatively assess items selected for inclusion and qualitatively provide guidance for the implantation of such a letter. RESULTS: All 32 experts participated in at least one round. Of the 285 initially identified individual items, 22 were ultimately selected for inclusion in the letter. All but one expert agreed that the list represents what the content of an educational handover letter in General Surgery should be. Qualitative analysis was performed on 395 comments and identified 4 themes to guide the implementation of the letter: "minimize redundancy, optimize impact, use appropriate assessments, and mitigate risk." CONCLUSIONS: A framework and proposed template are provided for an educational handover letter from undergraduate to graduate medical education in General Surgery based on the quantitative and qualitative analysis of expert consensus of major stakeholders. This letter holds promise to enhance the transition from undergraduate to graduate medical education by allowing programs to capitalize on strengths and efficiently address knowledge gaps in new trainees

Content analysis · Medical education · Sociology · Diversity and Career in Medicine · Hospital Admissions and Outcomes · Innovations in Medical Education · Medicine

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