Assessment of dental residents' professionalism through Professionalism Mini-Evaluation Exercise (P-MEX).

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess the professional behavior of dental residents through Professionalism Mini-Evaluation Exercise (P-MEX).

METHODS

This was a descriptive-analytical study. Content validity of P-MEX form was investigated for use in the context of dentistry. A total of 24-item version of P-MEX consisted of doctor-patient relationship skills (n = 7), reflective skills (n = 5), time management (n = 3), and interprofessional relationship skills (n = 9) was used in the present study. Residents in different dental specialties (n = 56) were evaluated by trained raters (448 times). Data were analyzed by descriptive (mean, SD) and analytical tests (Pearson, ANOVA, and post hoc test (Bonferroni)).

RESULTS

Validity of P-MEX was approved in the field of dentistry. The mean score of professional behavior in residents were reported 2.79 ± 0.24, with minimum and maximum scores of 2.17 and 3.62, respectively. The residents' professional behavior in the domain of reflective skills and doctor-patient relationship skills were lower than the other domains.

CONCLUSION(S): The results showed that the scores of professional behavior among dental residents were classified in the below expectation level and their scores have followed a downward trend from the second year. Therefore, planning for training and continuous assessment of professional behavior among residents in the faculty of dentistry should be considered.