Follow-up Assessment or Evaluation

Definition

Term used to define the data collected in the days, weeks, or months following an educational experience. While Assessments or Evaluations are typically designed to make a measurement immediately after a learning experience, Follow-up Assessments or Evaluations are designed to make measurements over time.

Methods

The methods of follow-up assessment or evaluation should match those implemented for the initial assessment or evaluation. For assessments these may include various means of measuring changes in knowledge, competence, performance, or healthcare outcomes. For evaluations these may include various means of measuring satisfaction with the content and learning experience and/or the perception of bias within the activity.

Evidence

Effectiveness of Continuing Medical Education – AHRQ Report 149

Tian J, et al. JCEHP, 27(1):16–27, 2007.

National Board of Medical Examiners Constructing Written Test Questions for the Basic and Clinical Sciences, 2018.

Example

[PENDING: We are continuing to collect examples…if you have examples that you’d like us to leverage, please share them!]

Additional Contextual Information:

• There is no empirically-based standard as to when follow-up is required or appropriate. Logically, the follow-up period (i.e., time point in relation to intervention experience) will be dictated by the desired outcome. With simpler outcomes follow-up periods are generally shorter than with more complex outcomes. As an example, one systematic review (Tian J, et al) suggests a minimum of 12-month may be required to determine sustainability of intervention outcomes.
• Note: there are well-established best practices for the construction and deliver of assessment questions, for this reason it is the suggestion of the OSP Steering Team that questions should be developed in accordance with National Board of Medical Examiner guidelines.