[Quality assurance of faculty examinations: Optimization of examination management in the Heidelberg Curriculum Medicinale (HeiCuMed)]

Abstract

Introduction: Examinations are a central element of the medical curriculum: they contribute significantly to the quality assurance of medical training and subsequent medical care. In order to meet the high expectations placed on examinations in terms of content, legal and organizational aspects, continuous quality assurance measures are necessary. The aim of this paper was to record and analyze the quality assurance measures implemented at the medical faculty of Heidelberg.

Methods: We investigated quality indicators that are relevant to medical examinations - adequate choice of examination formats, blueprint/validity, reliability and distribution of grades, feedback to students, consequences of examinations - within the faculty examinations in the decentrally organized Heidelberg Curriculum Medicinale (HeiCuMed). In addition, the organizational structures in examination management were examined. For this purpose, interviews were conducted with teaching staff, students and the technical examination administration.

Results: The surveys show that the quality indicators in HeiCuMed have already been met in many areas. Optimization work remains to be done concerning the criteria "adequate choice of examination formats", "feedback to students" as well as the documentation of the examination process and the definition of substitution regulations.

Discussion: Training courses, statistical analysis and accompanying research are essential for establishing additional innovative, practice-oriented examination formats. In order to improve feedback to students, formative assessments should be more intensively integrated into the curriculum. As a measure for structured quality-oriented examination management, it is also helpful to document the examination procedure and the staff assigned to it using templates.

Conclusion: Especially with decentralized examination management, the internal coordination of individual departments is of great importance in order to guarantee the quality of examinations. Regular surveys of the parties involved can be of support by collecting best-practice examples and deliver the respective information in handouts encouraging interdisciplinary exchange.

Keywords: Best Practice; Best practice; Examination management; Faculty examinations; Fakultätsinterne Prüfungen; Prüfungsmanagement; Quality assurance; Quality indicators; Qualitätsindikatoren; Qualitätssicherung.