Process Improvement of the Certification of Medical Specialists in Mexico: A Case Study of Otorhinolaryngology

Abstract

Background: The certification of medical specialists is  a fundamental task to protect society and document the achievement of competences in a specific field. The medical certifying process has advanced and disseminated globally, becoming more evidence-based, sophisticated and complex. Formal physicians’ certification in Mexico started in 1963, but the quality and validity of the process is heterogeneous due to a variety of reasons. The Mexican Board of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery (MBO) was created in 1970. Recently the Board implemented an initiative to diagnose and improve its test development and analysis processes.

Objective: Describe the quality improvement process of a medical specialty certification exam in Mexico.

Methods: Single descriptive instrumental case study. Review of the MBO normative documents and previous exams’ reports. Interviews with the Board’s main stakeholders and information obtained during the test development and analysis activities. Implementation of a two-year
change process for improvement of the MBO certifying examination, using Downing’s model for test development and Greenhalgh’s model for dissemination of innovations.