A repurposed tool: the Programme Evaluation SOAP Note.
BACKGROUND
Doctors have used the subjective-objective-assessment-plan (SOAP) note format to organise data about patient problems and create plans to address each of them. We retooled this into the 'Programme Evaluation SOAP Note', which serves to broaden the clinician faculty member's perspective on programme evaluation to include the curriculum and the system, as well as students.


METHODS
The SOAP Note was chosen as the method for data recording because of its familiarity to clinician-educators and its strengths as a representation of a clinical problem-solving process with elements analogous to educational programme evaluation. We pilot-tested the Programme Evaluation SOAP Note to organise faculty members' interpretations of integrated student performances during the Year 3 patient care skills objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).


RESULTS
Eight community clerkship directors and lead clerkship faculty members participated as observers in the 2007 gateway examination and completed the Programme Evaluation SOAP Note. Problems with the curriculum and system far outnumbered problems identified with students.


CONCLUSIONS
Using the Programme Evaluation SOAP Note, clerkship leaders developed expanded lists of 'differential diagnoses' that could explain possible learner performance inadequacies in terms of system, curriculum and learner problems. This has informed programme improvement efforts currently underway. We plan to continue using the Programme Evaluation SOAP Note for ongoing programme improvement.
Reznich
Christopher B
CB
Office of Medical Education Research and Development, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA. reznich@msu.edu
Wagner
Dianne P
DP
Noel
Mary M
MM
D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000592:standards*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*