Abstract
Background: Despite the widespread implementation of competency-based education, evidence of ensuing enhanced
patient care and cost-benefit remains scarce. This narrative review uses the Kirkpatrick/Phillips model to investigate the
patient-related and organizational effects of graduate competency-based medical education for five basic
anesthetic procedures.
Methods: The MEDLINE, ERIC, CINAHL, and Embase databases were searched for papers reporting results in
Kirkpatrick/Phillips levels 3–5 from graduate competency-based education for five basic anesthetic procedures. A gray
literature search was conducted by reference search in Google Scholar.
Results: In all, 38 studies were included, predominantly concerning central venous catheterization. Three studies reported
significant cost-effectiveness by reducing infection rates for central venous catheterization. Furthermore, the procedural
competency, retention of skills and patient care as evaluated by fewer complications improved in 20 of the
reported studies.
Conclusion: Evidence suggests that competency-based education with procedural central venous catheterization
courses have positive effects on patient care and are both cost-effective. However, more rigorously controlled and
reproducible studies are needed. Specifically, future studies could focus on organizational effects and the possibility of
transferability to other medical specialties and the broader healthcare system.
Keywords: Anesthesia, Graduate medical education, Internship and residency, Catheterization, Central venous, Anesthesia,
General, Anesthesia spinal, Anesthesia, Epidural, Airway management, Competency-based education, Mastery learning