Self-assessment of the Orthopedics and Traumatology specialty for its accreditation in a university hospital in Villa Clara

EDUMECENTRO 2022;14:e1713

RESEARCH PAPER

Self-assessment of the Orthopedics and Traumatology specialty for its accreditation in a university hospital in Villa Clara

Autoevaluación de la especialidad Ortopedia y Traumatología para su acreditación en un hospital universitario villaclareño

 

Lázaro Martín Martínez Estupiñan1* https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7634-7575
Leonardo Martínez Aparicio1 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7203-753X
Nubia Blanco Barbeito2 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0359-9157

 

* Author for correspondence. Email: lazarome@infomed.sld.cu

 

1 Villa Clara University of Medical Sciences. "Mártires del 9 de Abril". University Hospital Sagua la Grande. Villa Clara. Cuba.
2 Villa Clara University of Medical Sciences. Sagua la Grande Faculty of Medical Sciences. Villa Clara. Cuba.

 

 

ABSTRACT

Quality is the result of a series of internal and environmental factors, linked to good university management and practice; it concerns both the processes it manages and the results obtained by the participants, that´s why it is always desirable, relative and multidimensional. The objective of this article is to express the assessment of the self-assessment process in the Orthopedics and Traumatology specialty that takes place in the Orthopedics and Traumatology service of the "Mártires del 9 de Abril" University Hospital, in close relationship with the current accreditation model. The accreditation of the specialty of Orthopedics and Traumatology will allow continuing to advance towards academic excellence, so desired by all, to raise the quality of life of the people and in a pertinent way, to consolidate itself as an academic, scientific and humanistic institution.

MeSH: accreditation; quality management; orthopedics; medical education.

RESUMEN

La calidad es el resultado de una serie de factores internos y del entorno, vinculados a una buena gestión y práctica universitaria; atañe tanto a los procesos que gestiona como a los resultados que obtienen los participantes, por lo que es siempre deseable, relativa y multidimensional. El objetivo del presente artículo es expresar la valoración del proceso de autoevaluación en la especialidad Ortopedia y Traumatología que se desarrolla en el servicio de Ortopedia y Traumatología del Hospital Universitario "Mártires del 9 de Abril", en estrecha relación con el modelo de acreditación vigente. La acreditación de la especialidad de Ortopedia y Traumatología permitirá continuar avanzando hacia la excelencia académica, tan anhelada por todos, elevar la calidad de vida del pueblo y de forma pertinente, consolidarse como institución académica, científica y humanista.

DeSC: acreditación; gestión de la calidad; ortopedia; educación médica.

 

 

Submitted: 20/09/2020
Accepted: 23/11/2021

 

 

From the changes that have occurred in higher education, in higher medical education and in particular in Villa Clara University of Medical Sciences, it has been necessary to establish control mechanisms in the Orthopedics service of "Mártires del 9 de Abril" University Hospital to help ensure compliance with a set of indicators that achieve the accreditation of the specialty of Orthopedics.

The implementation of the evaluation processes in Cuban higher education institutions goes through significant social transformations, which implies the continuous modernization of the didactic, methodological and evaluative processes, so that they meet the new demands and requirements to gradually consolidate the substantive processes and the social impact of the university, and movements towards organizational changes and the general development of education within the subject can be systematized, under conditions of continuous improvement.(1)

The objective of this article is to express the assessment of the self-assessment process in the Orthopedics and Traumatology specialty that takes place in the service of the same name at the "Mártires del 9 de Abril" University Hospital, in close relationship with the current accreditation model.

Quality is the result of a series of internal and environmental factors, linked to good university management and practice. It is expressed through previously established standards and the existing dialectical unity between academic excellence, the different variables and the comprehensive relevance of the response to the environment, in order to fulfill the mission of higher education in general, and medical sciences universities in particular.

The academic audit provides the institutional capacity for self-regulation, understood as the set of policies, mechanisms, procedures and actions, destined to determine if the institution is effectively advancing towards the achievement of its purposes and objectives, and safeguarding institutional diversity, wealth of Cuban higher education and its own development project.

Its purposes refer to ensuring compliance with academic objectives and goals, appropriately protecting human, material and financial resources used in the provision of services, complying with applicable laws and regulations of a general and specific nature; and prepare, preserve and disclose reliable academic information for planning, decision-making and control of activities; in addition to evaluating the level of preparation of the teaching staff that participates in the teaching-learning process; assess scientific production and its correspondence with lines of research, the incorporation of professors and students to research projects and participation in national and international events.(1,2)

Resolution 62/2016 specifies that the results of the self-evaluation and certification of the programs and their improvement plan form an important part of the institution's assessment process, so that the external evaluation of the institutions may be requested for the purposes of accreditation, when 60% or more of its programs have a higher category of accreditation.(3)

In more than 50 years of history that the Orthopedics and Traumatology service of the "Mártires del 9 de Abril" University Hospital has trained more than 80% of the professionals who work in such service and who provide undergraduate and graduate teaching. In this, a group of specialists from various Cuban provinces and other countries have been formed. Likewise, orthopedic specialists offer medical assistance to the population of the north-central territory of the Villa Clara province, which has gained a meritorious recognition of the specialty.

In the service there are indicators of excellence in health, evidenced in the quality of the care activity and in national exchanges, collaborative relationships with other services that strengthen interdisciplinary work from professional exchange, in favor of the enrichment and updating of the program.

The entire teaching staff has a degree equal to or higher than that granted by the program; of them, 42.87% have a Second Degree specialization and an Associate research rank, 28.57% have an academic degree of Master of Science and 14.28% have a Ph D. of Medical Sciences. 87.71% have teaching ranks (1 full, 2 assistants, 2 associates and 1 instructor) professors. In the last five years, 63 papers were presented at scientific events at the institution, territorial, national and international levels, which reached an average of 10.5% by members of the teaching staff; 23 papers were published in the last five years in indexed journals, giving an index of 3.83. The total number of recognitions: 27 reach an average of 4.5 per member of the teaching staff.

The service guarantees the comprehensive development of the residents throughout the training process through the in-service training, actively and harmoniously combining the academic, teaching and researching activities with the achievement of the acquisition of the competencies and abilities declared in the program of the specialty. There is high satisfaction among residents for the tutorial care received during the process of training specialists, and the investigations carried out correspond to lines prioritized by the Ministry of Public Health and health problems in the service, previously defined in the bank of problems of the institution.

Within the teaching staff, there has been concern and occupation to provide guides to good practices and action protocols for the development of an adequate teaching-learning process, as well as to promote the access of residents to the information available on the networks and the use of information and communication technologies for the exchange among students, teachers and tutors.

The "Mártires del 9 de Abril" University Hospital guarantees the work settings of the specialist's training, where the resident interacts directly with the work object of the profession and in-service training is the fundamental teaching method that assumes the peculiarities of specialized services. These scenarios have the requirements demanded by the objectives of the modules that the residents take and has the resources that ensure the execution and development of a correct specialized work activity, supported by the correct use of the technologies necessary for an accurate diagnosis and indication and application of a relevant therapy; There is an infrastructure, equipment and supplies required for learning and research activities that facilitate better performance at work.

Self-evaluation and accreditation are mechanisms that help promote the improvement of institutions so that they have information and closely monitor the proposed aims and objectives, as well as the degree of relevance and significance of them to ensure that they effectively respond to what they offer and what society expects from them.(4)

The higher categories of quality accreditation are characterized by a set of standards that must be met and demonstrated with evidence. To be cataloged a master's degree or a postgraduate specialty in one or another higher category of quality accreditation, a comprehensive evaluation of the results achieved by the program is carried out, as established in the Subsystem for Evaluation and Accreditation of the quality of Postgraduate Specialties Programs (SEA-EP).(5)

The institutional self-evaluation process faced by the Villa Clara University of Medical Sciences constitutes a challenge for the substantive processes that are developed in it, it is the result of the systematic work of its board of directors and staff in general in the last five years in search of quality and continuous improvement.(6)

Joining the accreditation system will allow the specialty of Orthopedics and Traumatology of the "Mártires del 9 de Abril" University Hospital, not only to be on a par with its counterparts in the country, but also to continue advancing towards academic excellence, so longed by all, raise the quality of life of the people, and in a pertinent way, consolidate itself as an academic, scientific and humanistic institution.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

1. Martínez Iñiguez JE, Tobón S, Romero Sandoval A. Problemáticas relacionadas con la acreditación de la calidad de la educación superior en América Latina. Innovac Educ [Internet]. 2017 [citado 10/09/2021];17(73):[aprox. 12 p.]. Disponible en: http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1665-26732017000100079

2. Addine Fernández F, Forrellat Barrios A, Ascuy Morales AB, Monzón Bruguera Y. Reflexiones sobre la autoevaluación, evaluación externa y acreditación en las instituciones de educación superior cubanas. Rev Univ y Soc [Internet]. 2018 [citado 10/09/2021];10(4):[aprox. 4 p.].Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S2218-36202018000400272

3. Ministerio de Educación Superior. Reglamento para la Evaluación y acreditación de los programas de doctorado, maestrías, especialidades de postgrados, carreras universitarias. Resolución No. 62/2016. La Habana: Ministerio de Educación Superior; 2016.

4. Noda Hernández ME. Evaluación de la calidad y su acreditación en Cuba: actualidad y retos en el contexto de la Agenda Educativa 2030. Rev Educ Sup y Soc [Internet]. 2017 [citado 10/09/2021];22(22):[aprox. 22 p.]. Disponible en: https://www.iesalc.unesco.org/ess/index.php/ess3/article/view/34

5. Ministerio de Educación Superior. Reglamento del Sistema de Evaluación y Acreditación de la Educación Superior (SEAES). Res 150/2018. La Habana: Ministerio de Educación Superior; 2018.

6. Vicerrectorado Académico. La evaluación institucional: un reto para los procesos sustantivos de las universidades. EDUMECENTRO [Internet]. 2015 [citado 13/09/2021];7(2):[aprox. 1 p.]. Disponible en: http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2077-28742015000200001

 

 

Declaration of interests

The authors declare not to have any interest conflicts.

 

 

Authors' contribution

Conceptualization, collection of information, writing and review of the final draft: Lázaro Martín Martínez Estupiñan, Leonardo Martínez Aparicio and Nubia Blanco Barbeito.

Copyright (c) 2022 EDUMECENTRO

Licencia de Creative Commons
Esta obra está bajo una licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional.