From requirements to assessment: simulation, feasibility and the missing infrastructure in postgraduate anaesthesiology training across Europe

Abstract

Postgraduate anaesthesiology training across Europe has achieved substantial agreement on training requirements through the European Training Requirements (ETRs) and on knowledge assessment through the European Diploma in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care. In contrast, approaches to assessing clinical performance, although explicitly mandated in the ETRs, remain heterogeneous and under-specified across countries. In this context, the pilot study by Angeles-Fité and colleagues explores the feasibility of implementing a standardised, ETR-aligned simulation-based assessment strategy across different European training systems. We consider the implications of their findings for the future standardised performance assessment in Europe.

Keywords: European training requirements; anaesthesiology training; competency-based education; simulation-based assessment; workplace-based assessment.