Clinical Competency Committee Experience in the Arab World

Clinical Competency Committee Experience in the Arab World | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Clinical Competency Committee Experience in the Arab World HELLA ALOTHMAN This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7520089/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: Clinical Competency Committees (CCCs) are essential in graduate medical education for assessing and guiding medical trainees. Despite the implementation of competency-based medical education (CBME), CCCs often struggle with incomplete, inconsistent, or poorly integrated evaluation data. These challenges limit their ability to ensure residents develop all six ACGME core competencies and achieve optimal performance. (1-3) Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the clinical competency committee members, and to report experiences. Methods: This qualitative study included postgraduate teaching healthcare professionals from various regions, randomly selected to join anonymized online discussion groups. Participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding CCCs were assessed through eight structured objectives. Discussions were conducted via Google Groups over two weeks. Data were analyzed qualitatively to capture insights into experiences and regional variations in CCCs implementation. Results: Participants highlighted that Clinical Competency Committees promote fairness, standardization, and reduced bias in trainee evaluations. Implementation challenges were noted, including time constraints, logistical issues, and inconsistent assessments across sites. Despite these difficulties, CCCs were valued for supporting trainee development, guiding remediation, and helping learners identify areas for improvement and enhancing professional growth and competency. Conclusion: CCCs are essential for ensuring trainee competence and professional development, and their effectiveness can be enhanced through faculty training, standardized assessment practices, and individualized mentorship. Investing in these areas ultimately strengthens healthcare education and improves patient care outcomes. Clinical Competency Committees Graduate Medical Education Educational Assessment Resident Assessment Evaluation Methods clinical training Professional Competence Mentorship Introduction Clinical Competency Committees (CCC) are organized teams in graduate medical education (GME) programs that evaluate and supervise the training demands of the medical learners. They are instrumental in competency-based medical education (CBME), in which the focus is on assessing outcomes, skills, and professional development over the mere months or years of schooling. CCCs use the regular review of performance data to be sure residents are developing the six ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) core competencies of patient care, medical knowledge, communication skills, professionalism, practice-based learning and improvement, and systems-based practice. The Clinical Competency Committee (CCC) also offers assurance to the wider world that physicians have attained competency after completing a training program. Graduate medical education (GME) and Clinical Competency Committees (CCCs) are changing to track trainee progress in the context of competency-based medical education (CBME) principles and outcomes. CBME enhances effective, personalized building of residents, which is evident, but shows that CCCs are not meeting this objective despite CBME having made progress over 20 years. The problematic sources are that the evaluation data are incomplete, insufficient, mismatched with performance, contradictory, or of unascertained quality ( 1 , 2 , 3 ) The challenges that CCCs encounter in making advancement decisions are poor organization, analysis, visualization, and integration of data elements sources, collection processes, contexts, and time. Such concerns are more urgent in CBME, where additional data needs to be collected on each learner to individualize the process of development. ( 4 , 5 ) It necessitates the combination of multiple evaluation tools to address all six core competencies, such as communication skills, patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, professionalism, and system-based practice. ( 5 , 6 ) The use of evaluations by different people and different assessment instruments increases the reliability and validity of the evaluation. The ability to have individual learning plans and remediation methods is also critical to solving cases of the performance gap. The clinical competency committee is expected to diagnose the problems at an early stage, come up with organized remedial plans, and provide a means of' constant guidance and review to the residents. The strategy can enhance the level of performance and the quality of patient care. Thus, the research was carried out to evaluate the levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the CCC members in the Arab world, and to report experiences. Methods Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria Inclusion criteria: Health care professional, Teaching, postgraduate, Arab world, English speaker. Exclusion criteria: Non-medical field, not practicing teaching, not speaking English. This qualitative study is carried out online through Google discussion group. Active participation in every discussion is a must for all members. The study was conducted in different countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. The study investigated respondents' knowledge, attitude, and experience of clinical competency committees. Google Group was used to create and add members to start an online discussion. Members do not know each other and are selected randomly based on their academic/clinical experience in different regions. The group started with clarification of its purpose, the start and end dates, and a prepared video by the team to initiate discussion. The study takes approximately 2 weeks to complete. The estimated sample was 20 participants. During the study, the following points were highlighted to make the best use of valuable contributions during the discussion: Eight objectives were assessing the knowledge, attitude, and practice of CCC in different regions. Scenarios Used for Discussion: Prepared case scenarios and guiding questions were developed for each objective, covering: Purpose and functions of CCCs Assessment methods and feedback processes Resident involvement in CCCs Faculty development needs Standardization challenges Development plans and remediation approaches Challenges faced and solutions shared Results Three main themes emerged from the analysis: perceptions of the CCCs role, implementation challenges, and influence on trainee development. Theme 1: Perceptions of the CCCs Role Respondents always stressed the CCC as a tool that would promote fairness and standardization of the evaluation of the trainees. “The CCC assists in decreasing bias since the situation is not based on the judgment of an individual but on a group.” (Participant, Saudi Arabia) “The CCC in our site makes sure that assessment is by national competency frameworks.” (Participant, UAE) Theme 2: Implementation difficulties Various locations reported logistical and structural obstacles in the work of CCC. “A large problem is time commitment. Faculty members are overworked already.” (Participant, Qatar) “Not all the evaluations are congruent, and this complicates decision-making.” (Participant, Bahrain) Themes 3: Influence on Trainee Development The majority of the participants explained that CCCs were valuable in career development and remediation. “The reviews shared by CCCs will lead us to concentrate on areas that we are weak in.” (Participant, Oman). In Egypt, “the CCC plays a critical role in helping trainees observe their blind spots and giving them structured guidance for improvement.” (Participant, Egypt) This highlights that CCC not only provides performance oversight but also improves the professional development of trainees. - The distribution of themes across the participating countries is detailed in Table 1. Discussion This paper has explored the perspectives of CCCs in various Arabian states, leading to the identification of three significant themes, including (1) CCCs are generally viewed as being able to achieve fairness and standardization in the assessment of the trainees (2) the implementation issues included workload, inconsistent data, and structural barriers to effectiveness and (3) CCCs are beneficial to the development of the trainee, especially with feedback and remediation. These results match those carried out internationally, which indicates CCCs as essential to competency-based medical education (CBME) (Sawsan Abdel-Razig et al., 2021). Nevertheless, also aligned with earlier studies in the same setting (Hawkins et al., 2015), challenges related to workload and data quality still exist. Each of the countries appreciated the role of the CCC, but contextual variations governed its implementation. Case in point, Saudi Arabia and the UAE emphasized congruency with national plans, while Qatar and Bahrain highlighted structural inefficiency. In contrast, Egyptian participants emphasized mentorship and structured guidance as essential, with the CCC serving not only as an assessing tool but also as a driver of professional growth for trainees. Oman showed more focus on corrective action and feedback, so adaptations to places might result in better performance. Positives involve multi-country response and high-quality qualitative information. Nonetheless, there are some limitations in that it may contain response bias and the different sample sizes in the countries, as well as the lack of the limited generalizability outside of the Arab world. Practical Implication Institutions need to create time and training opportunities for CCCs members to mitigate the issue of workload. Policy Implication Standardization within a region can enhance consistency of the CCCs standardization. Research Implication In upcoming studies, the researchers will need to investigate the outcomes of trainees over a longer period and determine the ways to use digital tools in the standardization of the evaluations. Challenges and Solutions Bias and Confidentiality : Need to protect confidentiality and minimize bias in peer assessment. Adequacy of Meeting Time : Need for optimized meeting schedules for thorough evaluations. Recommendations Standardized Evaluation Frameworks: Ensure there is consistency across departments by introducing standardized evaluation frameworks based on checklists and performance metrics to carry out evaluations that are fair and consistent across the board. Individualize assessment methods to cover certain competencies that are needed in the various specialties but still have a core set of evaluation standards. Constructive Feedback Mechanisms: Make sure feedback is immediate, precise, and pertinent to the education goals. Communicate constructively in structured feedback forms and feedback sessions. Educate the faculty members about useful feedback methods so that they can be supportive and help give the residents practical advice. Consistent Meetings and Reasonable Time commitment: Plan and organize CCCs appointments twice a year to pay attention to every resident and their progress. Developmental needs should be discussed properly in order to allocate enough time. Introduce more meetings, if necessary, particularly residents needing extra support or remediation. Training and Development Recommendations: Faculty Development Programs: Hold continuous faculty developmental programs to orient members of the CCCs on assessment methodology, milestone evaluations, and career decision-making processes. Stimulate CCCs members to attend a workshop and seminar dealing with best practices in competency-based medical education and assessment. Support and mentorship to residents: Provide special learning plans to residents, particularly those with issues, to help them achieve the mission and help them remediate. Establish mentors for residents who will mentor these residents throughout their careers and give professional advice and feedback to them. Conclusions In conclusion, this is a qualitative study that addressed the experiences of healthcare educators in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Egypt with Clinical Competency Committees (CCC). The results indicate that a strong and transparent procedure, strengthened education of the faculty, and individualized care to residents are the three factors that need to be utilized to improve CCCs performance. Notably, international experience indicates that the norms of both fair evaluation and resident-centered directions are universal; nevertheless, institutional readiness and the number of resources will be different in various settings. These disparities indicate the need to practice flexible and circumstantial practices as opposed to a one-size-fits-all model. Reinforcement of faculty training and alignment of assessment practices to the best international standards can help, in addition to the credibility and consistency of CCCs. Furthermore, a formal mentorship and individualized feedback will help the residents to better prepare to start working independently in clinical settings, and this is how patient care outcomes will improve. Overall, it is crucial to note that CCCs are essential tools for establishing competence, and promoting to keep on investing in the development of these tools will promote healthcare education in the area. Abbreviations CCC Clinical Competency Committee CBME Competency-Based Medical Education GME Graduate Medical Education ACGME Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education KAIMRC King Abdullah International Medical Research Center Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate This study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval was granted by the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center Institutional Review Board (KAIMRC IRB; Approval No. 16224). The KAIMRC IRB waived the requirement for informed consent, as the study used anonymized data and posed minimal risk to participants. Consent for publication Not applicable. Availability of data and materials The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to the small sample size and concerns regarding participant confidentiality. Anonymized data may be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and with approval from the KAIMRC IRB. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Funding This research received no external funding. Authors’ contributions HO designed the study, collected and analyzed the data, and drafted the manuscript. HO also read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgements Not applicable. References Al-Bualy, R., Ekpenyong, A., & Holmboe, E. (2023). Effective Clinical Competency Committee Meeting Practices: Before, During, and After. Academic Medicine, 98(11), 1340. Andolsek, K., Padmore, J., Hauer, K. E., Ekpenyong, A., Edgar, L., & Holmboe, E. (2020). Clinical Competency Committees: A Guidebook for Programs (3rd ed.). Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Hawkins, R.E., Welcher, C.M., Holmboe, E.S., Kirk, L.M., Norcini, J.J., Simons, K.B., and Skochelak, S.E. (2015). Implementation of competency-based medical education: Are we addressing the concerns and challenges? Medical Education , 49(11), pp.1086–1102. Promes, S. B., & Wagner, M. J. (2014). Starting a clinical competency committee. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 6(1), 163–164. Rowland, K., Edberg, D., Anderson, L., & Wright, K. (2023). Features of Effective Clinical Competency Committees. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 15(4), 463-468. Sawsan Abdel-Razig, Oon, J., Thana Harhara, MBBS, Nares Smitasin, Lum, L.H., and Ibrahim, H. (2021). Challenges and Solutions in Running Effective Clinical Competency Committees in the International Context. Journal of Graduate Medical Education , 13(2s), pp.70–74. Turner, J., Wimberly, Y., & Andolsek, K. M. (2021). Creating a High-Quality Faculty Orientation and Ongoing Member Development Curriculum for the Clinical Competency Committee. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 13(2s), 65-69. Table Table 1 Summary of Themes Across Countries Theme Saudi Arabia UAE Qatar Bahrain Oman Egypt Perceptions of the CCCs Role ✓ strong ✓ strong ✓ moderate ✓ strong ✓ moderate ✓ strong Challenges in implementation ✓ workload ✓ structural ✓ time/logistics ✓ data inconsistency ✓ resource limits ✓ hierarchical barriers / limited digital tools Impact on trainee development ✓ strong ✓ professional growth ✓ limited evidence ✓ feedback focus ✓ remediation ✓ strong emphasis on mentorship & remediation This Table 1 presents thematic findings from different countries' perceptions of CCCs, key barriers to implementation, and reported impact on trainee development. While most countries reported strong perceptions of CCC roles, challenges varied and included workload, structural issues, and data or resource limitations. The impact on trainee development ranged from professional growth and feedback enhancement to remediation and mentorship emphasis. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7520089","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":523066762,"identity":"68658c76-ac17-4af3-a723-18bdec248273","order_by":0,"name":"HELLA ALOTHMAN","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA+UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAwbGxgOMDSAGECRUAAlm5gZCWhpAWiTAWh6cAWlhJKSFgQGuhfFhG0iMgBZz9sMNB37usKkzFzv87EHivNpo/naglh8V23BqsexJbDjYeyZNwnJ2mrlB4rbjuTMOMzYw9py5jdthBxIbDvC2HZYwuJ1gJpG47VhuA1ALM2MbHi3nHzYc/AvWkv5NInHOsdz5BLXcSGw4DLElB2hLQ03uBsJaHjYclm1Lk9xwO6dMIuHYgdyNQC0H8frlfPrDh2/bbPiBDtsm+aOmLnfe+cMHH/yowK0FHRwGkweIVg8EdaQoHgWjYBSMghECAAr1Z7TgFLzWAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"King Abdulaziz Medical City","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"HELLA","middleName":"","lastName":"ALOTHMAN","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-09-02 17:23:11","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7520089/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7520089/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":92561785,"identity":"7a43f040-d853-4e40-831f-ac02d7b7efce","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-01 04:47:50","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":40074,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"RevisedManuscript1.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7520089/v1/6f1ca3d928c737648c0752c0.docx"},{"id":92561786,"identity":"11590ba0-232d-4114-90e8-fc5af9fc64c9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-01 04:47:50","extension":"json","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":4024,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"8e6cd7b29d634528bb5865fc58d765c5.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7520089/v1/16ce730ebc1259f01426000a.json"},{"id":92561784,"identity":"900fb573-1ea1-4091-808f-63e5c29f9d1c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-01 04:47:50","extension":"xml","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":37650,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"8e6cd7b29d634528bb5865fc58d765c51enriched.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7520089/v1/1eb6e2e2d938c559ffdf3f5f.xml"},{"id":92561787,"identity":"6329229d-4193-40bd-bc5e-b58a7a46457b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-01 04:47:50","extension":"xml","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":35621,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"8e6cd7b29d634528bb5865fc58d765c51structuring.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7520089/v1/fad444b5dde85772e1be9925.xml"},{"id":92562449,"identity":"9f81d5a2-d321-481e-9845-ab84a621ab96","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-01 04:55:50","extension":"html","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":41552,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7520089/v1/782eb53f9116b9cac08a38e8.html"},{"id":100726466,"identity":"e8aa3896-d4c7-4af0-8de0-17d02ad3b8fd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-20 20:25:37","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":674210,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7520089/v1/1404d4d0-b023-438f-9e1e-3f4ef68b3bb9.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Clinical Competency Committee Experience in the Arab World","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eClinical Competency Committees (CCC) are organized teams in graduate medical education (GME) programs that evaluate and supervise the training demands of the medical learners. They are instrumental in competency-based medical education (CBME), in which the focus is on assessing outcomes, skills, and professional development over the mere months or years of schooling. CCCs use the regular review of performance data to be sure residents are developing the six ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) core competencies of patient care, medical knowledge, communication skills, professionalism, practice-based learning and improvement, and systems-based practice.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Clinical Competency Committee (CCC) also offers assurance to the wider world that physicians have attained competency after completing a training program.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Graduate medical education (GME) and Clinical Competency Committees (CCCs) are changing to track trainee progress in the context of competency-based medical education (CBME) principles and outcomes. CBME enhances effective, personalized building of residents, which is evident, but shows that CCCs are not meeting this objective despite CBME having made progress over 20 years. The problematic sources are that the evaluation data are incomplete, insufficient, mismatched with performance, contradictory, or of unascertained quality \u003csup\u003e(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe challenges that CCCs encounter in making advancement decisions are poor organization, analysis, visualization, and integration of data elements sources, collection processes, contexts, and time. Such concerns are more urgent in CBME, where additional data needs to be collected on each learner to individualize the process of development. \u003csup\u003e(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/sup\u003e It necessitates the combination of multiple evaluation tools to address all six core competencies, such as communication skills, patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, professionalism, and system-based practice. \u003csup\u003e(\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe use of evaluations by different people and different assessment instruments increases the reliability and validity of the evaluation. The ability to have individual learning plans and remediation methods is also critical to solving cases of the performance gap. The clinical competency committee is expected to diagnose the problems at an early stage, come up with organized remedial plans, and provide a means of' constant guidance and review to the residents. The strategy can enhance the level of performance and the quality of patient care. Thus, the research was carried out to evaluate the levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the CCC members in the Arab world, and to report experiences.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eInclusion and Exclusion Criteria\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInclusion criteria:\u003c/strong\u003e Health care professional, Teaching, postgraduate, Arab world, English speaker.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExclusion criteria:\u003c/strong\u003e Non-medical field, not practicing teaching, not speaking English.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis qualitative study is carried out online through Google discussion group. Active participation in every discussion is a must for all members. The study was conducted in different countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. The study investigated respondents\u0026apos; knowledge, attitude, and experience of clinical competency committees.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGoogle Group was used to create and add members to start an online discussion. Members do not know each other and are selected randomly based on their academic/clinical experience in different regions. The group started with clarification of its purpose, the start and end dates, and a prepared video by the team to initiate discussion. The study takes approximately 2 weeks to complete. The estimated sample was 20 participants.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the study, the following points were highlighted to make the best use of valuable contributions during the discussion:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul type=\"disc\"\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eEight objectives were assessing the knowledge, attitude, and practice of CCC in different regions.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eScenarios Used for Discussion:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrepared case scenarios and guiding questions were developed for each objective, covering:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul type=\"disc\"\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ePurpose and functions of CCCs\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAssessment methods and feedback processes\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eResident involvement in CCCs\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eFaculty development needs\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eStandardization challenges\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eDevelopment plans and remediation approaches\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eChallenges faced and solutions shared\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eThree main themes emerged from the analysis: perceptions of the CCCs role, implementation challenges, and influence on trainee development.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTheme 1: Perceptions of the CCCs Role\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRespondents always stressed the CCC as a tool that would promote fairness and standardization of the evaluation of the trainees.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;The CCC assists in decreasing bias since the situation is not based on the judgment of an individual but on a group.\u0026rdquo; (Participant, Saudi Arabia)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;The CCC in our site makes sure that assessment is by national competency frameworks.\u0026rdquo; (Participant, UAE)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTheme 2: Implementation difficulties\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVarious locations reported logistical and structural obstacles in the work of CCC.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;A large problem is time commitment. Faculty members are overworked already.\u0026rdquo; (Participant, Qatar)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;Not all the evaluations are congruent, and this complicates decision-making.\u0026rdquo; (Participant, Bahrain)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThemes 3: Influence on Trainee Development\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe majority of the participants explained that CCCs were valuable in career development and remediation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;The reviews shared by CCCs will lead us to concentrate on areas that we are weak in.\u0026rdquo; (Participant, Oman).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Egypt, \u0026ldquo;the CCC plays a critical role in helping trainees observe their blind spots and giving them structured guidance for improvement.\u0026rdquo; (Participant, Egypt)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis highlights that CCC not only provides performance oversight but also improves the professional development of trainees.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- The distribution of themes across the participating countries is detailed in Table 1.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis paper has explored the perspectives of CCCs in various Arabian states, leading to the identification of three significant themes, including (1) CCCs are generally viewed as being able to achieve fairness and standardization in the assessment of the trainees (2) the implementation issues included workload, inconsistent data, and structural barriers to effectiveness and (3) CCCs are beneficial to the development of the trainee, especially with feedback and remediation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese results match those carried out internationally, which indicates CCCs as essential to competency-based medical education (CBME) (Sawsan Abdel-Razig et al., 2021). Nevertheless, also aligned with earlier studies in the same setting (Hawkins et al., 2015), challenges related to workload and data quality still exist.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach of the countries appreciated the role of the CCC, but contextual variations governed its implementation. Case in point, Saudi Arabia and the UAE emphasized congruency with national plans, while Qatar and Bahrain highlighted structural inefficiency. In contrast, Egyptian participants emphasized mentorship and structured guidance as essential, with the CCC serving not only as an assessing tool but also as a driver of professional growth for trainees. Oman showed more focus on corrective action and feedback, so adaptations to places might result in better performance.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePositives involve multi-country response and high-quality qualitative information. Nonetheless, there are some limitations in that it may contain response bias and the different sample sizes in the countries, as well as the lack of the limited generalizability outside of the Arab world.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePractical Implication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eInstitutions need to create time and training opportunities for CCCs members to mitigate the issue of workload.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePolicy Implication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eStandardization within a region can enhance consistency of the CCCs standardization.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResearch Implication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn upcoming studies, the researchers will need to investigate the outcomes of trainees over a longer period and determine the ways to use digital tools in the standardization of the evaluations.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eChallenges and Solutions\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBias and Confidentiality\u003c/b\u003e: Need to protect confidentiality and minimize bias in peer assessment.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAdequacy of Meeting Time\u003c/b\u003e: Need for optimized meeting schedules for thorough evaluations.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eRecommendations\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eStandardized Evaluation Frameworks:\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eEnsure there is consistency across departments by introducing standardized evaluation frameworks based on checklists and performance metrics to carry out evaluations that are fair and consistent across the board. Individualize assessment methods to cover certain competencies that are needed in the various specialties but still have a core set of evaluation standards.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConstructive Feedback Mechanisms:\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMake sure feedback is immediate, precise, and pertinent to the education goals. Communicate constructively in structured feedback forms and feedback sessions. Educate the faculty members about useful feedback methods so that they can be supportive and help give the residents practical advice.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConsistent Meetings and Reasonable Time commitment:\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlan and organize CCCs appointments twice a year to pay attention to every resident and their progress. Developmental needs should be discussed properly in order to allocate enough time. Introduce more meetings, if necessary, particularly residents needing extra support or remediation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eTraining and Development Recommendations:\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFaculty Development Programs:\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eHold continuous faculty developmental programs to orient members of the CCCs on assessment methodology, milestone evaluations, and career decision-making processes. Stimulate CCCs members to attend a workshop and seminar dealing with best practices in competency-based medical education and assessment.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eSupport and mentorship to residents:\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eProvide special learning plans to residents, particularly those with issues, to help them achieve the mission and help them remediate. Establish mentors for residents who will mentor these residents throughout their careers and give professional advice and feedback to them.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003e In conclusion, this is a qualitative study that addressed the experiences of healthcare educators in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Egypt with Clinical Competency Committees (CCC). The results indicate that a strong and transparent procedure, strengthened education of the faculty, and individualized care to residents are the three factors that need to be utilized to improve CCCs performance. Notably, international experience indicates that the norms of both fair evaluation and resident-centered directions are universal; nevertheless, institutional readiness and the number of resources will be different in various settings. These disparities indicate the need to practice flexible and circumstantial practices as opposed to a one-size-fits-all model. Reinforcement of faculty training and alignment of assessment practices to the best international standards can help, in addition to the credibility and consistency of CCCs. Furthermore, a formal mentorship and individualized feedback will help the residents to better prepare to start working independently in clinical settings, and this is how patient care outcomes will improve. Overall, it is crucial to note that CCCs are essential tools for establishing competence, and promoting to keep on investing in the development of these tools will promote healthcare education in the area.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Abbreviations","content":"\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"508\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCCC\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClinical Competency Committee\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCBME\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCompetency-Based Medical Education\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGME\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGraduate Medical Education\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eACGME\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAccreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKAIMRC\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eKing Abdullah International Medical Research Center\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026nbsp;This study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval was granted by the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center Institutional Review Board (KAIMRC IRB; Approval No. 16224). The KAIMRC IRB waived the requirement for informed consent, as the study used anonymized data and posed minimal risk to participants.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026nbsp;Not applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026nbsp;The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to the small sample size and concerns regarding participant confidentiality. Anonymized data may be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and with approval from the KAIMRC IRB.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026nbsp;The authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026nbsp;This research received no external funding.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors’ contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026nbsp;HO designed the study, collected and analyzed the data, and drafted the manuscript. HO also read and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026nbsp;Not applicable.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAl-Bualy, R., Ekpenyong, A., \u0026amp; Holmboe, E. (2023). Effective Clinical Competency Committee Meeting Practices: Before, During, and After. Academic Medicine, 98(11), 1340.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAndolsek, K., Padmore, J., Hauer, K. E., Ekpenyong, A., Edgar, L., \u0026amp; Holmboe, E. (2020). Clinical Competency Committees: A Guidebook for Programs (3rd ed.). Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eHawkins, R.E., Welcher, C.M., Holmboe, E.S., Kirk, L.M., Norcini, J.J., Simons, K.B., and Skochelak, S.E. (2015). Implementation of competency-based medical education: Are we addressing the concerns and challenges? \u003cem\u003eMedical Education\u003c/em\u003e, 49(11), pp.1086\u0026ndash;1102.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ePromes, S. B., \u0026amp; Wagner, M. J. (2014). Starting a clinical competency committee. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 6(1), 163\u0026ndash;164.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eRowland, K., Edberg, D., Anderson, L., \u0026amp; Wright, K. (2023). Features of Effective Clinical Competency Committees. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 15(4), 463-468.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSawsan Abdel-Razig, Oon, J., Thana Harhara, MBBS, Nares Smitasin, Lum, L.H., and Ibrahim, H. (2021). Challenges and Solutions in Running Effective Clinical Competency Committees in the International Context. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Graduate Medical Education\u003c/em\u003e, 13(2s), pp.70\u0026ndash;74.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eTurner, J., Wimberly, Y., \u0026amp; Andolsek, K. M. (2021). Creating a High-Quality Faculty Orientation and Ongoing Member Development Curriculum for the Clinical Competency Committee. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 13(2s), 65-69. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"},{"header":"Table","content":"\u003cp\u003eTable 1 Summary of Themes Across Countries\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"126%\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 17.7083%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTheme\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11.4583%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSaudi Arabia\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 13.5417%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUAE\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14.5833%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQatar\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 15.625%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBahrain\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 13.5417%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOman\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 13.5417%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEgypt\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 17.7083%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePerceptions of the CCCs Role\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11.4583%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;strong\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 13.5417%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;strong\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14.5833%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;moderate\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 15.625%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;strong\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 13.5417%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;moderate\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 13.5417%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;strong\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 17.7083%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChallenges in implementation\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11.4583%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;workload\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 13.5417%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;structural\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14.5833%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;time/logistics\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 15.625%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;data inconsistency\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 13.5417%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;resource limits\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 13.5417%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;hierarchical barriers / limited digital tools\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 17.7083%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eImpact on trainee development\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 11.4583%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;strong\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 13.5417%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;professional growth\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14.5833%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;limited evidence\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 15.625%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;feedback focus\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 13.5417%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;remediation\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 13.5417%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e✓\u0026nbsp;strong emphasis on mentorship \u0026amp; remediation\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Table 1 presents thematic findings from different countries\u0026apos; perceptions of CCCs, key barriers to implementation, and reported impact on trainee development. While most countries reported strong perceptions of CCC roles, challenges varied and included workload, structural issues, and data or resource limitations. The impact on trainee development ranged from professional growth and feedback enhancement to remediation and mentorship emphasis.\u003c/p\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Clinical Competency Committees, Graduate Medical Education, Educational Assessment, Resident Assessment, Evaluation Methods, clinical training, Professional Competence, Mentorship","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7520089/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7520089/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground:\u003c/strong\u003e Clinical Competency Committees (CCCs) are essential in graduate medical education for assessing and guiding medical trainees. Despite the implementation of competency-based medical education (CBME), CCCs often struggle with incomplete, inconsistent, or poorly integrated evaluation data. These challenges limit their ability to ensure residents develop all six ACGME core competencies and achieve optimal performance. (1-3)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eObjective:\u003c/strong\u003e This study aimed to evaluate the levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the clinical competency committee members, and to report experiences.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods:\u003c/strong\u003e This qualitative study included postgraduate teaching healthcare professionals from various regions, randomly selected to join anonymized online discussion groups. Participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding CCCs were assessed through eight structured objectives. Discussions were conducted via Google Groups over two weeks. Data were analyzed qualitatively to capture insights into experiences and regional variations in CCCs implementation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults:\u003c/strong\u003e Participants highlighted that Clinical Competency Committees promote fairness, standardization, and reduced bias in trainee evaluations. Implementation challenges were noted, including time constraints, logistical issues, and inconsistent assessments across sites. Despite these difficulties, CCCs were valued for supporting trainee development, guiding remediation, and helping learners identify areas for improvement and enhancing professional growth and competency.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion:\u003c/strong\u003e CCCs are essential for ensuring trainee competence and professional development, and their effectiveness can be enhanced through faculty training, standardized assessment practices, and individualized mentorship. Investing in these areas ultimately strengthens healthcare education and improves patient care outcomes.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Clinical Competency Committee Experience in the Arab World","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-01 04:47:45","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7520089/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"99843085-75cd-4116-98df-8c8de3e0750b","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 1st, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-20T17:38:28+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-01 04:47:45","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7520089","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7520089","identity":"rs-7520089","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}