Construction of the medical virtual teaching and research office evaluation system in China based on the context, input, process, product model: a Delphi study

Background: As new-formed basic-level teaching organizations, medical virtual teaching and research offices (VTROs) have been established in China since 2021. There still a lack of a comprehensive standard for them. The aim of this study was to construct a comprehensive system for evaluation of the medical VTROs.

Methods: The authors developed an initial draft of the VTROs evaluation system, based on the context, input, process, product model and a literature review. A total of 19 experts were invited to provide supportive advice and modification suggestions on the evaluation system in two Delphi rounds, and calculated coefficient value, consistency ratio, and weight for each first-, second-, and third-level indices.

Results: The CIPP model-based evaluation system developed included the subject and course categories. The subject category had 4 first-level indices, 14 s-level indices, and 46 third-level indices, while the course category had 4 first-level indices, 13 s-level indices, and 49 third-level indices. The recovery rates for two rounds were 94.7% and 89.5%. Coefficient value for the two subscales ranged from 0.097 to 0.207 in the second round, while weighted quality index values were established at all levels, with a consistency ratio < 0.1.

Conclusions: The VTROs evaluation system is CIPP-oriented, comprehensive, and reliable. It can serve a guide for construction, implementation, and evaluation of VTROs in medical field.