Consensus Challenges in Clinical Placement Evaluation: Insights From a Modified Delphi Study

Background: Evaluating clinical placement performance is crucial for ensuring high-quality learning experiences in health professional education. This study used a Modified Delphi approach to examine expert consensus on key measurement areas and the effectiveness of tools used to assess placement performance. Method: In Rounds 2 and 3 of a Modified Delphi study, experts identified and ranked tools used to evaluate clinical placements. Open-ended responses were analysed inductively to determine commonly used approaches. Experts then rated each tool's effectiveness using a Likert scale, with consensus set at ≥ 75% agreement. Findings: While consensus was achieved for key measurement areas, significant variability existed in preferred assessment tools, reflecting differences in institutional practices, disciplinary expectations, and stakeholder perspectives. Consensus was stronger for tools measuring student learning outcomes compared to those assessing placement experiences, suggesting that educational outcomes are more systematically understood. Key challenges included limited empirical validation of tools, reliance on subjective assessments, and difficulties in measuring competencies such as workplace resilience and coping mechanisms. Conclusion:Experts emphasised the need for a multi-method evaluation approach, integrating competency-based assessments, observational methods, and structured feedback mechanisms. However, the Delphi method proved less effective for tool selection, demonstrating the importance of an alternative research approach to consensus-building. Future research should focus on real-world application in specific clinical placement settings, ensuring that placement evaluation tools are both applicable and relevant. A flexible framework for tool selection is recommended to address standardisation challenges while maintaining disciplinary relevance.

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16th National Allied Health Conference: Empowering Lives, Shaping Healthcare

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