Archives of Medicine and Health Sciences (Jan 2021)
Quality assurance of medical education in India: The concerns, available guiding frameworks, and the way forward to improve quality and patient safety
Abstract
With India having the largest number of medical schools (619) globally and these numbers are increasing every year, quality assurance (QA) in medical education is a matter of shared concern and responsibility for all stakeholders in India and the interconnected world. Hence, an attempt is made through key literature review on good practices by accreditation agencies that have put in place comprehensive QA systems in their respective countries. Looking through the lens of the “Systems Approach” (inputs–process–outcomes) to investigate and intervene in educational systems and the quality improvement framework followed by the UK, the focus of the system followed in India has been identified as predominantly “Inputs-based Minimum Requirements Standards” and essential elements of processes influencing the educational outcomes and quality control (QC) through monitoring of progression toward graduate outcome competencies among students and the workplace where they get employed as part of the scrutiny by accreditation system are found missing. The way forward to address the concerns of all stakeholders and ensure patient safety through well-known systems and processes of QA at the national level and QC through quality management within institutions is suggested. Further, the working models for quality improvement in medical education such as the World Federation for Medical Education Standards and the National Assessment and Accreditation Council Standards for Higher Educational Institutions are taken as exemplars for preparing a way forward that can be useful to the National Accreditation Agency and medical schools in India including its expeditious implementation by applying for international recognition as an accreditation agency is presented.
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