Review of e-portfolio requirements and methodology

Abstract

Background: Portfolios are used in medical practice as a means of instilling “reflective learning” in doctors and accumulating evidence of the doctor’s competence. It is a mandatory requirement by the General Medical Council (GMC), as a form of public accountability, for licensed clinicians to maintain an e-portfolio of daily clinical practice, which is subjected to annual appraisals and ultimately influences their ability to renew their license to practise in the UK. This article reviews the reflective learning process for which the e-portfolio is intended to instil in doctors and the level of evidence required to demonstrate competency and continuing professional development.
Methods: A literature review was conducted on Medline and Google Scholar for any available guidance on writing e-portfolio entries and guidelines from the GMC, Royal Colleges and various training boards were reviewed to determine the type of evidence required to be demonstrated.
Results: Fifteen articles had met the inclusion criteria on guiding e-portfolio writing. Guidelines reviewed constantly echoed the theme of “reflecting doctors” and “linking evidence to curriculum outcomes”. This article has also proposed a “Do, Reflect, Plan, Act” framework in writing portfolio entries.
Conclusions: Creating and maintaining an e-portfolio throughout a lifelong career is no mean feat. We have reviewed the key components that clinicians ought to demonstrate in their e-portfolios, and introduced the “Do, Reflect, Plan, Act” framework, to enhance understanding of the e-portfolio as a learning tool to improve medical practice.