Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29991636›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2018

UK nationals who received their medical degrees abroad: selection into, and subsequent performance in postgraduate training: a national data linkage study.

Paul A Tiffin, James Orr, Lewis W Paton, Daniel T Smith, John J Norcini

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Paul A TiffinHealth Sciences, University of York, York, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1770-5034
James OrrEmergency Department, Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK.
Lewis W PatonHealth Sciences, University of York, York, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3328-5634
Daniel T SmithGeneral Medical Council, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1215-5811
John J NorciniFoundation for the Advancement of International Medical Education Research, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Funding

Department of Health CDF-2015-08-011
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo compare the likelihood of success at selection into specialty training for doctors who were UK nationals but obtained their primary medical qualification (PMQ) from outside the UK ('UK overseas graduates') with other graduate groups based on their nationality and where they gained their PMQ. We also compared subsequent educational performance during postgraduate training between the graduate groups.

designObservational study linking UK medical specialty recruitment data with postgraduate educational performance (Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) ratings).

settingDoctors recruited into national programmes of postgraduate specialist training in the UK from 2012 to 2016.

participants34 755 UK-based trainee doctors recruited into national specialty training programmes with at least one subsequent ARCP outcome reported during the study period, including 1108 UK overseas graduates.

main outcome measuresOdds of being deemed appointable at specialty selection and subsequent odds of obtaining a less versus more satisfactory category of ARCP outcome.

resultsUK overseas graduates were more likely to be deemed appointable compared with non-EU medical graduates who were not UK citizens (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.42), although less so than UK (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.27) or European graduates (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.75). However, UK overseas graduates were subsequently more likely to receive a less satisfactory outcome at ARCP than other graduate groups. Adjusting for age, sex, experience and the economic disparity between country of nationality and place of qualification reduced intergroup differences.

conclusionsThe failure of recruitment patterns to mirror the ARCP data raises issues regarding consistency in selection and the deaneries' subsequent annual reviews. Excessive weight is possibly given to interview performance at specialty recruitment. Regulators and selectors should continue to develop robust processes for selection and assessment of doctors in training. Further support could be considered for UK overseas graduates returning to practice in the UK.

Indexed as

Clinical CompetenceEducation, Medical, GraduateForeign Medical GraduatesPersonnel SelectionAdultEducational MeasurementFemaleHumansInformation Storage and RetrievalMaleMedicineUnited Kingdominternational medical graduatesmedical regulationmedical selection

Identifiers

PMID29991636
PMCPMC6082483

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.