Diagnosing conflict: Conflicting data, interpersonal conflict, and conflicts of interest in clinical competency committees

Abstract

Clinical competency committees (CCCs) are increasingly used within health professions education as their decisions are thought to be more defensible and fairer than those generated by previous training promotion processes. However, as with most group-based processes, it is inevitable that conflict will arise. In this paper the authors explore three ways conflict may arise within a CCC: (1) conflicting data submissions that are presented to the committee, (2) conflicts between members of the committee, and (3) conflicts of interest between a specific committee member and a trainee. The authors describe each of these conflict situations, dissect out the underlying problems, and explore possible solutions based on the current literature.

Keywords:

• Conflicts of interest
• clinical competency committees
• competency-based medical education
• conflict resolution
• decision-making

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Jason Frank for starting the International Competency-Based Medical Education (ICBME) collaborative and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada for facilitating the ICBME 2019 summit. This work would not have been possible without them.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Teresa Chan

Teresa Chan, MD, FRCPC, MHPE, Assistant Dean, Program for Faculty Development, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University. Associate professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. Adjunct Scientist, McMaster program for Education Research, Innovation, and Theory (MERIT), Hamilton, ON, Canada.

Anna Oswald

Anna Oswald, MD, MMEd, FRCPC, Director, Competency Based Medical Education, Office of Postgraduate Medical Education, University of Alberta CanMEDS Clinician Educator, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.

Karen E. Hauer

Karen E. Hauer, MD, PhD, Associate Dean, Competency Assessment and Professional Standards Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.

Holly A. Caretta-Weyer

Holly A. Caretta-Weyer, Clinical Assistant Professor, Assistant Residency Program Director, Director of Evaluation and Assessment, Department of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine.

Markku T. Nousiainen

Markku T. Nousiainen, MS, MEd, MD, FRCSC, Program Director, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery and Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto.

Warren J. Cheung

Warren J. Cheung, MD, MMEd, FRCPC, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa Senior Clinician Investigator, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute CanMEDS Clinician Educator, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.