Implementing a logbook on entrustable professional activities in the final year of undergraduate medical education in Germany – a multicentric pilot study

Objectives: The final year of undergraduate medical education (practical year) should foster the transition from undergraduate medical education to graduate medical education. Medical students in the practical year should be able to assume professional tasks, and supervisors should assign these tasks to them. In this pilot study, a curriculum based on the concept of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) was implemen-ted and evaluated in the disciplines of internal medicine, surgery and general practice at four university hospitals. Methods: n=37 medical students and n=17 supervising physicians at four German university hospitals participated in the implementation study for one trimester. For evaluation purposes, we conducted focus group discussions and telephone interviews and analyzed them following qualitative content analysis. Results: We identified five different aspects as important for implementing the EPA curriculum in undergraduate medical education in the German context: 1. Implementation process of the EPA curriculum and required resources, 2. Entrustment process, 3. Feedback sessions with supervisors, 4. Students’ and supervisors’ role perception 5. Overall impact of EPAs on training conditions in the practical year. Conclusion: The study presents a practical implementation of the EPA curriculum in Germany’s undergraduate medical education. Besides the need for time and resources, the concept shows good feasibility and fosters a competence-oriented undergraduate medical education in the practical year.