A Review of Portfolio Use in Residency Programs and Considerations before Implementation

Background: Portfolios, often described as collections of evidence, are discussed as a means of teaching or assessing the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies. Yet, it is unclear how many residency programs utilize portfolios. The purpose of this article is to (a) review the literature on portfolio use in graduate medical education; (b) examine efficacy of portfolio use, based upon studies in the field; and (c) offer a discussion of considerations for implementing portfolios. Summary: Two searches of PubMed, OVID, JSTOR, SCOPUS, and FirstSearch Wilson Select were conducted between October 2006 and April 2007 to identify studies and articles related to portfolio usage. Thirty-nine articles met criteria and were reviewed. Conclusions: There is wide variation in how portfolios are utilized within U.S. residency programs. The challenge for graduate medical education is to create consensus on the definition and purpose of portfolios, such that best practices in portfolio implementation and assessment can be achieved.