JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Medical education has undergone professionalisation during the last decades and internationally educators are trained in specific medical education courses also known as “train the trainer” courses. As these courses have developed organically based on local needs, lack of a general structure and terminology can confuse and hinder educators’ information and development. To support course providers and educators searching for courses, this study provides a blueprint for a national search, analysis and presentation of medical education courses based on international theoretical frameworks.

Objective:

In this study, we devised a scholarly approach to sorting and presenting medical education courses to make their content accessible to medical educators. This approach is presented in detailed steps and our exemplary database openly available, to make it serve as a blueprint for other settings.

Methods:

Following our constructivist paradigm, we examined content from medical education courses using a theory-informed inductive data approach. Switzerland served as an example, covering four languages and different approaches to medical education. Data were gathered through an online search and a nationwide survey with course providers. The acquired data and a concurrently developed keyword system to standardise course terminology are presented using Obsidian, a software that shows data networks.

Results:

Our iterative search included several strategies (web search, survey, provider enquiry, snowballing) and yielded 69 courses in four languages, with varying terminology, target audiences, and providers. The database of courses is interactive and openly accessible. A template database structure is also available open access.

Conclusions:

This study proposes a novel method for sorting and visualising medical education courses and the competencies they cover to provide an easy-to-use database, helping medical educators’ practical and scholarly development. Notably, our analysis identified a specific emphasis on undergraduate teaching settings, potentially indicating a gap in postgraduate educational offerings. This aspect could be pivotal for future curriculum development and resource allocation. Our method might guide other countries and healthcare professions, offering a straightforward means of cataloguing and making information about medical education courses widely available and promotable.