A Qualitative Study of Independent Home Visits by Hospice Fellows: Addressing Gaps in ACGME Milestones by Fostering Reflection and Self-Assessment

Abstract

Background:With the rapid growth in the number of fellowship programs in Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM), many are in the process of developing ways to demonstrate that fellows are attaining educational milestones. Reflection and self-assessment are key components of 2 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies, practice-based learning and improvement, and systems-based practice, which have both been historically challenging to learn and assess.Objective:This article describes results of a content analysis of narrative data collected from HPM fellows’ self-assessments as they performed hospice home visits independently in a new clinical rotation.Design:This was a prospective qualitative study.Settings/Participants:Eight fellows completed 217 unsupervised hospice home visits from 2014 to 2016.Measurements:Fellows completed weekly self-assessment forms, which captured both clinical visit information and practice data elicited from responses to open-ended reflection prompts.Results:Analysis of 29 self-assessment forms generated 6 themes: patient- and family-centered care, self-efficacy, systems-based care, commitment to doing their best, catalyst for professional growth, and purpose and meaning in work. The fellows recognized numerous barriers distinct to providing care in homes. All fellows felt prepared to perform home visits throughout the rotation and after training.Conclusions:Narrative data collected during the independent home visit rotation provided evidence that HPM fellows detected gaps in their performance, planned for practice improvements in subsequent visits, and valued working within an interprofessional team. Built-in opportunities for fellows to reflect during training are critical in meeting ACGME milestones, and are integral to their professional development.