The reporting outcomes in medical education (ROME) model: proposition of a new framework.

backgroundOutcomes in medical education are as complex as medical reality, ranging from individual skilled, ethical and professional development to improvement in patient care, changes in overall quality of care or changes in policy. There have been several suggestions for reporting outcome levels in medical education research, however none of which have been widely implemented,. All current models have substantial shortcomings. They lack granularity to adequately represent the complexity of medical education and care, particularly when reporting results related to patient care and health policy. Furthermore, none of the models allow for the reporting on narrative-only descriptive reports where no outcomes have yet been formally measured such as project reports.

methodsIn a modified double diamond approach, we developed a new, comprehensive model taking into account the strengths and addressing the weaknesses of prior models. The preliminary model incorporated all potential outcomes in medical education without implying a hierarchy. We sent the draft model to a group of raters for testing who discussed, revised, and reviewed it. The group of raters were experienced professionals from medical education and other fields, and represented different countries (Australia, Canada, Colombia, Germany, United States).

resultsThe raters agreed that the proposed model was easy to understand and use and had high face validity. All raters agreed on a revised model unanimously. The final comprehensive model – ROME (Reporting Outcomes in Medical Education) model – allows for reporting both narrative and quantitative outcomes in medical education literature. We developed a corresponding Excel sheet to help with the assessment of studies as well as two worked examples to illustrate its use.

conclusionThe ROME model is easy to use and at the same time comprehensively depicts all potential outcomes potentially addressed in reporting medical education research. It thus provides a classification taxonomy and describes research settings and outcomes more precisely. It serves both as a potential synthesis framework as well as a blueprint guideline for reporting outcomes. This will support researchers in medical education and their and reviewers alike. We outline potential next steps to further validate and advance our model. It will facilitate the routine reporting of outcome levels.