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Iden i ica ion o essen ial compe encies o he pedia ic den is y
cu iculum a Damascus Uni e si y: A Delphi s udy
Fa ah Babaku d1, Ma iam Sha a 1, Maysoon Dashash2*
1Depa men o Pedia ic Den is y, Facul y o Den is y, Damascus Uni e si y, Sy ia.
2Depa men o Pedia ic Den is y, Facul y o Den is y, Damascus. .Uni e si y, Sy ia
A icle in o Abs ac
In oduc ion
Compe ency-Based Medical Educa ion (CBME) is an
ou come-o ien ed app oach ocused on designing,
implemen ing, and e alua ing educa ional p og ams [1].
I s i s aim is o iden i y he skills, knowledge, and
p o essional a i udes ha lea ne s should be able o
p ac ice independen ly [2]. Knowledge en ails
acqui ing, e aining, and e ec i ely u ilizing
in o ma ion, equi ing men al e o and he capaci y o
g asp concep s while dis inguishing be ween igh and
w ong. While skill aims o ep esen he p ac ical
applica ion o knowledge and es ablished ules, leading
o ac ions guided by speci ic e hical p inciples, an
example o ha is balancing expec ed bene i s wi h
po en ial isks. A i ude e e s o p edisposi ions ha
A icle his o y:
Recei ed 23 Aug. 2024
Accep ed 5 Feb. 2025
Published 14 Ap . 2025
Babaku d e al. J Med Edu De . 2025; 18(1): 65-75 Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen
Backg ound & Objec i e: Global educa ion is ocusing on he signi icance o de eloping
compe ency-based cu icula nowadays. This s udy aims o es ablish a comp ehensi e se o
essen ial compe encies in pedia ic den is y designa ed o he cu iculum a Damascus
Uni e si y o ensu e ha he g adua es a e equipped wi h he knowledge, skills, and p o essional
a i udes o deli e e ec i e pedia ic den al ca e.
Ma e ials & Me hods: This quali a i e explo a o y s udy used Delphi echniques o build a
consensus among expe s on he co e compe encies o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum a
Damascus Uni e si y in 2024. This s udy used wo sequen ial quali a i e me hods: a ocus
g oup and he Delphi echnique. A ocus g oup was conduc ed wi h one medical educa ion
expe and h ee specialis s in pedia ic den is y o de elop an ini ial lis o compe encies. This
lis was assessed using a wo- ound Delphi echnique u ilized o his pu pose. 25 pa icipa ed
in he p ocess, and ou o he 34 expe s in i ed, Compe encies ha ga ne ed a leas 80%
ag eemen among he expe s we e included in he inal lis . The analysis included desc ip i e
s a is ics such as mean and s anda d de ia ion.
Resul s: The s udy iden i ied 47 co e compe encies, o which 15 we e ela ed o knowledge:
ac s and concep s in pedia ic den is y; 21 we e ela ed o skills: abili ies o pe o m an ac i i y
o a ask; and 11 we e ela ed o a i udes: eelings o opinions ha guide beha io .Conclusion:
The applica ion o heo e ical knowledge acqui ed in a ious aspec s o clinical educa ion is
hampe ed by di e se challenges. These challenges mani es a di e en le els, encompassing
managemen , policy, in as uc u e, and human and ma e ial esou ces. P io i izing iden i ied
issues and implemen ing co ec i e ac ions based on exis ing capaci ies is he ini ial s ep in
o e coming hese challenges.
Conclusion: Iden i ying a comp ehensi e amewo k o essen ial compe encies o he
pedia ic den is y cu iculum a Damascus Uni e si y has been success ully es ablished. This
amewo k is good because i aligns di e en ly wi h global educa ion ends. S ill, i aims o
imp o e he den al ca e p o ided by u u e p ac i ione s. The esul s will be an asse o he
cu iculum de elope s and educa o s in pedia ic den is y o ensu e ha g adua es a e be e
equipped o p o ide quali y ca e o hei young pa ien s.
Keywo ds: pedia ic den is y, educa ional cu icula, compe ency-based medical educa ion,
Delphi echnique.
*Co esponding au ho :
Maysoon Dashash, Depa men o
Pedia ic Den is y, Facul y o
Den is y, Damascus. .Uni e si y,
Sy ia
Email: [email protected]
O iginal A icle
How o ci e his a icle:
Babaku d F, Sha a M, Dashash M.
Iden i ica ion o essen ial
compe encies o he pedia ic
den is y cu iculum a Damascus
Uni e si y: A Delphi s udy. J Med
Edu De . 2025; 18(1): 65-75.
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shape how esponding o a pa icula si ua ion di e s
indi idually, including in e p e ing e en s, o ganizing
opinions in o cohe en s uc u es (such as alues), and
a icula ing e hical ac ions [3]. These compe encies a e
de ined acco ding o he needs o pa ien s, he
communi y, and he heal h ca e sys em [4]. The
ad an ages o CBME include de eloping compe en
clinicians who can wo k h ough p oblem-based
lea ning, communica e e ec i ely, and hink c i ically
[5]. As we all know, o g adua es, compe ency-based
educa ion was i s adop ed by he Uni e si y o Pue o
Rico, one o he den al schools. Then, he Ame ican
Associa ion o Den al Schools ook he leade ship ole
in o ganizing he execu ion o his educa ional model in
a ious special ies [6]. Mo e ecen ly, he Na ional
Den al Examining Boa d o Canada has designed a
compe ency s anda d ha is conside ed su icien o
ce i ica e awa ds o den al g adua es [7].
Pedia ic den is y, also known as pedodon is s, is a
special y ha p o ides bo h p ima y and comp ehensi e
p e en i e and he apeu ic den al ca e o child en om
bi h h ough adolescence, including hose wi h special
needs [8]. This special y inco po a es, in addi ion o he
dis inc echniques speci ically designed o add ess
child en's unique equi emen s, a a ie y o skills and
p ocedu es ha a e common o o he den al disciplines
[9]. Consequen ly, wha is i al in pedia ic den is y is
ocusing on e idence-based in e en ions—whe he
p e en i e, diagnos ic, o - he apeu ic [10]. The cu en
cu iculum co e s essen ial opics in pedia ic den is y,
including beha io managemen echniques, p e en i e
and es o a i e ea men s, auma ca e, and p e en i e
and in e en ional o hodon ics. On he con a y, i lacks
mode niza ion, dep h, and imely upda es on he la es
ad ancemen s in hese a eas [11]. Howe e , wha is
eg e able is ha he e is cu en ly no s anda dized
cu iculum o pedia ic den is y, esul ing in
subs an ial a ia ion in educa ional con ex ac oss
di e en egions. Many ac o s in luence his dispa i y,
including egional socie al and capaci y [12]. Recen ly,
he e has been a mo emen owa ds es ablishing
uni e sally accep ed compe encies and de ining quali y
s anda ds in educa ion on e e y con inen . These e o s
o co e cu icula a e expec ed o p omo e he exchange
o expe iences and enhance communica ion and
collabo a ion among p o essionals wo ldwide [13].
The aim is o ocus and s uc u e educa ional p og ams,
and his pape a gues o de eloping a global
compe ency-based cu iculum in pedia ic den is y. I
asse s ha adop ing a CBME amewo k can achie e
such an ou come. This app oach e ec i ely os e s he
necessa y skills, knowledge, and a i udes among
lea ne s [14, 15]. Es ablishing he CBME amewo k is
c ucial o iden i ying he compe encies equi ed o
pe o m he job [16]. Va ious echniques, including
expe panels and c i ical assessmen s, ha e been
employed o de e mine he compe encies, lea ne
su eys, and ask analysis [17]. The Delphi echnique is
mo e p ecisely a sys ema ic me hod de eloped o collec
expe opinions on opics ha may no come unde
exis ing knowledge and concep s by consensus [18].
This me hod makes i easie o a g oup o expe s
engaging in s uc u ed, epe i i e discussions o de i e
collec i e judgmen s, o en mo e insigh ul han
indi idual opinions [19]. While adi ional su eys
ypically de e mine 'wha is' he Delphi me hod ocuses
on "wha should be" [20]. The ad an ages o he Delphi
echnique a e eliabili y, di e si y o expe opinions,
and he capaci y o be conduc ed emo ely wi hou ace-
o- ace in e ac ion [21]. This me hod allows expe s o
communica e anonymously and easily o exchange
in o ma ion, encou aging independen hough . We can
enhance he alidi y o he con en by engaging expe s
in mul iple e iew ounds.
Mo eo e , o objec i i y's sake, he echnique upholds
anonymi y and con iden iali y o a oid he in luence o
dominan indi iduals, g oup p essu es, and g oup hink.
This anonymi y encou ages he ee and ank
exp ession o opinion, and epea ing e iew ounds
allows pa icipan s o econside hei ideas, u he
enhancing he obus ness o indings [22]. The Delphi
echnique has been used ex ensi ely in heal h o each
consensus and de e mine compe encies in medical
special ies [23-26]. This s udy aims o es ablish a
comple e umb ella se o essen ial compe encies in
pedia ic den is y, adap ed o he cu iculum a
Damascus Uni e si y, o enable g adua es o possess he
knowledge, skills, and p o essional a i udes necessa y
o e ec i e pedia ic den al ca e.
Ma e ials & Me hods
Design and se ing(s)
This is a quali a i e explo a o y s udy wi h Delphi
elemen s o build expe consensus on he co e
compe encies o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum a
Damascus Uni e si y in 2024. Two sequen ial
quali a i e me hods, ocus g oup and Delphi echnique,
we e used.
The cu en esea ch has been app o ed by he Scien i ic
Resea ch E hics Commi ee o Damascus Uni e si y,
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No. 482, da ed 04/02/2024. W i en in o med consen
was sough om he su ey pa icipan s and a ached o
he on page o he e-ques ionnai e.
This s udy was ca ied ou acco ding o he
ecommenda ions o Delphi S udies (CREDES) [27].
Pa icipan s and sampling
The p incipal esea che s, F.B. and M.S., p epa ed an
ini ial lis o 113 i ems h ough a comp ehensi e e iew
o he medical li e a u e and global compe encies [28]
and in e iews wi h membe s o he Sy ian Associa ion
o Pedia ic Den is y, he Den al Associa ion, and
p o esso s o pedia ic den is y a public and p i a e
uni e si ies who a e physicians. Acknowledging ha he
Delphi Technique has been app o ed o e ime, i is
quali a i e as i ga he s subjec i e opinions and insigh s
om expe s; adi ional coding migh no be di ec ly
in ol ed. This echnique has been employed by
designing a lis o sugges ed compe encies and ga he ing
expe opinions o achie e consensus. The supe iso , an
M.D., an expe in medical educa ion, e iewed and
e ined he ini ial lis , made he necessa y changes,
adjus ed he wo ding o some compe encies, and added
o emo ed i ems o ensu e cla i y and comp ehension.
Following his, a ocus g oup o ou expe s (one in
medical educa ion and h ee in pedia ics) e iewed he
ini ial lis and made necessa y modi ica ions. As a esul ,
63 i ems we e ag eed upon, documen ed, and ca ego ized
in o knowledge, skills, and a i udes.
Tools/Ins umen s
The ques ionnai e was designed on Google Fo ms, an
online su ey pla o m. I was composed o 6 sec ions.
Sec ion 1 was an in oduc ion explaining he pu pose o
he s udy and he policy p o ec ing he p i acy and
con iden iali y o he pa icipan s' da a. Each ully
comple ed ques ionnai e was assigned an iden i ica ion
code o keep i anonymous, conside ed one o he majo
aspec s o Delphi su eys. Besides, an implied
ag eemen is clea ly s a ed.Sec ion 2 ga he ed
in o ma ion on demog aphics: gende and yea s o
p ac ice. Sec ions 3, 4, and 5 iden i ied he co e
knowledge, skills, and a i udes compe encies. Sec ion 6
had a ee ex ield whe e he esponden could sugges
a new compe ency no lis ed in he p elimina y lis .
Da a collec ion me hods
Delphi expe panel
Acco ding o Dalkey, Delphi expe s a e indi iduals
wi h knowledge and skills in a speci ic ield who mee
ou equi emen s: knowledge and expe ience o he
issue, abili y and willingness o pa icipa e, su icien
ime o pa icipa e in he Delphi, and e ec i e
communica ion skills [29]. In line wi h hese c i e ia, 34
expe s we e in i ed o pa icipa e, comp ising acul y
membe s om public and p i a e uni e si ies and
di ec o s o aining and specializa ion p og ams wi hin
he Depa men o Pedia ic Den is y o he Sy ian
Socie y o Pedia ic Den is y. Each expe had a
minimum o 5 yea s o expe ience. Ou o hose in i ed,
25 expe s esponded, esul ing in a esponse a e o
73.5%.
Delphi p o ocol- i s ound
Du ing he i s ound, expe s we e asked o a e he
impo ance o each compe ency on a i e-poin Like
scale (1 o "s ongly disag ee" o 5 o "s ongly ag ee").
They we e also encou aged o commen on any
compe encies hey el should be changed o added. The
i s - ound su ey deadline was wo weeks, and
eminde s we e sen o hose who s ill needed o espond
on he se en h day.
Delphi da a analysis- i s ound
The compe encies we e e iewed based on expe
eedback in he i s ound. Addi ional compe encies
sugges ed in he ee- ex commen s we e included in he
second ound. Da a was collec ed, and weigh ed
esponses we e calcula ed o each compe ency.
Delphi p o ocol-second ound:
The second ound consis ed o a lis sen o all expe s o
e-e alua e he impo ance o each compe ency since his
lis included all compe encies. Thei co esponding
weigh ed esponses we e c ea ed, adding he new
compe encies sugges ed du ing he i s ound. Thus, he
upda ed e sion was sen o hem on a i e-poin Like
scale, conside ing hei colleagues' esponses om he
i s Delphi ound. The second su ey deadline was wo
weeks, and a eminde was sen on he se en h day. The
i s ound occu ed on 14/03/2024, and he second on
15/04/2024.
Delphi da a analysis-second ound
The ag eemen below was ex ac ed using a common
app oach: he pe cen age ag eemen me hod, which
es ablishes consensus in he Delphi echnique. This
me hod only lis s compe encies whe e a leas 80% o
expe s ag ee.
Da a analysis
Da a analysis was done using he IBM SPSS s a is ical
package, wi h desc ip i e s a is ics such as he mean o
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: Iden i ica ion o essen ial compe encies o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum
68 Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ 2025
esponses on he Like scale used o de e mine he
di ec ion o he esponse and he s anda d de ia ion used
o gauge he homogenei y o he esponses. See Figu e 1
o he s udy low cha .
Figu e 1. Flow cha o he s udy
Resul s
O he 34 physicians in i ed o pa icipa e in he
ques ionnai e, 25 expe physicians esponded, esul ing
in a esponse a e o 73.5%. Fo de ails on he
demog aphic cha ac e is ics o he pa icipan s, please
e e o Table 1. Du ing he ocus g oup mee ings, a
p elimina y lis o 63 compe encies was iden i ied: 16 in
he knowledge domain, 31 in he skills domain, and 16
in he a i ude domain.
Demog aphic cha ac e is ics o he pa icipan sTable 1.
Cha ac e is ics
n (%)
Gende
17 (68)
Female
8 (32)
Male
Yea s o expe ience
16 (64)
5-10 yea s
9 (36)
Mo e han 10
yea s
Abb e ia ions: n, numbe o pa icipan s; %, pe cen age.
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Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1¦ 2025 69
In he i s ound o he Delphi p ocess, h ee addi ional
compe encies we e sugges ed, wo o which we e added
o he knowledge domain and one o he skills domain.
This b ough he o al o 66 compe encies, dis ibu ed as
ollows: 18 in he knowledge domain, 32 in he skills
domain, and 16 in he a i ude domain.
Compe encies wi h a weigh ed esponse o 2.5 o highe
we e conside ed du ing he i s Delphi ound. Fou
compe encies (one om he knowledge domain and he
o he s om he a i ude domain) we e excluded. This le
62 compe encies o he second ound, dis ibu ed as
ollows: 17 wi hin he knowledge domain, 32 wi hin he
skills domain, and 13 wi hin he a i ude domain.
The second Delphi ound e alua ed he 62 compe encies
by 25 expe s. The le el o ag eemen esponses anged
om neu al o ag ee o s ongly ag ee, wi h a low
s anda d de ia ion showing some homogenei y and
ag eemen among he expe s.
The las basic lis was limi ed o he compe encies a ed
on a e age highe han 4.21 (80%, being ‘s ongly
ag ee’) as alid compe encies. Hence, 15 compe encies
( wo om he knowledge domain, ele en om he skills
domain, and wo om he a i udes domain) ha ob ained
an a e age a ing o less han 4.21 we e dele ed
(Appendix 1).
Appendix 2 p esen s he essen ial compe encies
assumed o pos g adua e s uden s o he Depa men o
Pedia ic Den is y. The compe encies we e de eloped
h ough he Delphi echnique and consis o 47 i ems, 15
o which a e on he cogni i e dimension, 21 on he skills
dimension, and 11 on he a i udinal dimension.
Discussion
This s udy ocuses on he undamen al compe encies ha
pos g adua e s uden s should possess o o e quali y
se ices o pa ien s wi hou comp omising social
accoun abili y. The ocus is mos ce ainly on enhancing
he quali y o educa ion and aining, which equi es
de eloping an in eg a ed cou se o ill he educa ional
gaps [30].
A modi ied Delphi echnique has been employed o
inc ease he likelihood o eaching a consensus in
compe ency iden i ica ion in medical educa ion. I
comp ises delibe a e and p og essi e in e ac ions o a
speci ic g oup o specialis s, and he consensus is
eached h ough a se o sys ema ic, in e ac i e
p ocedu es whe eby each pa icipan can change hei
iew and include new ones i needed [31].
This s udy cons i u es he i s a emp o de ine all
necessa y compe encies o pos g adua e s uden s o
pedia ic den is y cu icula. The Delphi me hod was
applied, and as a esul , he panel o 25 expe s ag eed on
47 compe encies a anged in h ee speci ic a eas. These
compe encies will be he i s s ep owa d o mula ing a
compe encies-based p og am ocusing on pedia ic
den is y. The lis inco po a es impo an knowledge and
compe encies ha co e gene al and beha io
managemen concep s ela ed o pedia ic den is y. I
also ouches upon gene al pedia ics and i s sub-
special ies, dealing wi h medically comp omised and
child en wi h special needs, managemen o pain, o al
medicine and su ge y, echniques o seda ion and gene al
anes hesia, den al ma e ials, in e cep i e o hodon ics,
pha macology, epidemiology, p e en ion, es o a i e
den is y, den al auma, esea ch design, s a is ics,
den al and maxillo acial adiology. Besides, he se
includes he du ies ha he p ac i ione s will pe o m.
They mus pe o m ou ine diagnos ic and he apeu ic
measu es, ca e o pa ien s and hei eelings and needs,
and build us . Dedica ion o sel -e olu ion, pa ien
sa e y and con iden iali y, adhe ence o legal p ocedu es,
and ob aining in o med consen a e c ucial aspec s o a
den is 's p o essional du y.
The op imal size o expe s pa icipa ing in Delphi
s udies a ies and anges om 5 o mo e han 1000
pa icipan s [32]. Loo emphasized ha he pu pose ul
selec ion o expe s yields consensual da a a he han
la ge, andomly selec ed numbe s [33].
A sys ema ic e iew de e mined ha mos Delphi s udies
included ≥ 25 pa icipan s [32]. Only se en expe s we e
included in he Delphi s udy by Dalkey and Helme [34].
In compa ison, his s udy included 25 pedia ic den is y
expe s wi h a esponse a e o 73.5%.
Answe s we e eco ded using a i e-poin Like scale,
including a neu al poin . Elimina ing he neu al poin
may p omp esponden s o adop a clea e s ance.
Howe e , i s dele ion esul s in a dis o ion in he
esponses owa d nega i e esponses, pa icula ly in he
case o ambi alen esponden s [35].
This s udy employed wo esea ch me hodologies. Fi s ,
a ocus g oup me hod was used o c ea e an ini ial lis o
compe encies. Second, he Delphi echnique was used o
es uc u e and de elop a lis o co e compe encies based
on ecommenda ions om p e ious s udies [36].
The knowledge compe ency wi h he highes sco e was
"cons uc e ec i e and app op ia e p e en i e plans o
child en wi h den al ca ies." This is c ucial due o he
signi icance o p e en i e s a egies in hal ing ca ies
de elopmen in child en. T adi ional pedia ic den is y
esidency p og am cu icula ha e excessi ely
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70 Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1 ¦ 2025
emphasized es o a i e den is y while neglec ing ea ly
diagnosis and p e en i e managemen . This has
con ibu ed o a conce ning inc ease in de ec ed, missing,
and illed ee h (DMFT) indica o s in ecen
epidemiological s udies conduc ed in Sy ia [37].
I is impo an o emphasize ha p e en i e den is y
cons i u es he mos essen ial componen o aining in
pedia ic den is y, as p e en ion is he ounda ion o he
special y. P e ious s udies ha e epo ed simila
indings, highligh ing ha mos uni e si ies in B azil and
Malaysia emphasize he knowledge and applica ion o
p e en i e ma e ials in unde g adua e den al educa ion
[38, 39]. The highes sco e ega ding skill compe encies
was "c i ically app aise biomedical esea ch and clinical
esea ch pape s." Main aining compe ency and
con inuing p o essional de elopmen a e essen ial o
p o iding up- o-da e, high-quali y pa ien ca e.
The pos g adua e s uden s will be able o con iden ly
ake esponsibili y o pedia ic p oblems ega ding
e idence-based p ac ice. They need o be equipped o
esea ch, selec , analyze c i ically, and apply alid
in o ma ion based on e idence o sus ain li elong
lea ning. Resea ch s udies in Chile and La in Ame ica
ha e suppo ed he scien i ic basis ha eaching and
p o essional de elopmen in ol e esea ch. These
s udies ha e also emphasized a need o mo e suppo ,
encou agemen , and p omo ion o esea ch cul u e
wi hin den al schools [40]. A s udy assessing he
educa ional p og am gi en o pos g adua e s uden s in
pedia ic den is y in Egyp e ealed a eas o
imp o emen ega ding scien i ic esea ch. This was
a ibu ed o a need o mo e su icien a en ion paid by
acul y membe s o esea ch and he lack o inancial
esou ces as signi ican obs acles o pos g adua e
esea ch [41]. The da a indica ed ha "compliance wi h
in ec ion con ol p ac ices" was he mos impo an
a i ude compe ency. This compe ency is c ucial because
in ec ion con ol p o ec s pa ien s and heal hca e
wo ke s, including pedia ic den is s. Den is s wo k in an
en i onmen cha ac e ized by close con ac wi h pa ien s
and he p oduc ion o ae osols; he e o e, he chances o
in ec ion ansmission om an in ec ed pa ien a e e y
high. Thus, pedia ic den is s should be in o med and
educa ed on he absolu e adhe ence o in ec ion con ol.
A ecen e iew o eme ging i al diseases in he new
millennium concluded ha in ec ion con ol is as
impo an in den al p ac ice as unde s anding o al
mani es a ions and diagnosing and managing i al
in ec ions [42]. Ano he impo an bene i o his s udy
would be o aid he cu iculum planne s in making a
pedia ic den is y cu iculum comp ising a p io i ized
lis o compe encies es ablished by expe s.
The e a e se e al limi a ions o he Delphi su ey. Fi s ,
he epe i i eness o he su ey se may easily cause a
loss o in e es in he pa icipan s o e ime, hence
pu ing p essu e on he s udy supe iso s o keep he
pa icipan s' mo i a ion going a e e e y ound.
Secondly, a ge ed pos g adua e s uden s pa icipa ing in
he s udy did no con ibu e o de eloping hese
compe encies and hus may no be e lec ed in he
iden i ied compe encies. The e o e, a comp ehensi e
e iew o he pedia ic den is y cu iculum is equi ed o
c ea e app op ia e s uc u ed cu icula guidelines ha
answe he needs o lea ne s and he communi y. These
guidelines should s anda dize he con en o
unde g adua e pedia ic den is y cu icula in keeping
wi h con empo a y e idence-based den is y,
ecommend he mos e ec i e educa ional me hodology
o deli e ing his con en , and sugges he mos
app op ia e assessmen ools in ligh o he need o adop
a compe ency-based app oach.
Conclusion
Fo y-se en compe encies ha e been iden i ied ha a e
expec ed o acili a e pedia ic den is s' p o iding he
highes quali y pa ien heal h ca e. These compe encies
will also con ibu e o decision-make s de eloping mo e
ocused educa ional cu icula ha can d ama ically
enhance he e olu ion o compe ency-based educa ion in
pedia ic den is y.
E hical conside a ions
This s udy go he E hical Commi ee's app o al,
Damascus Uni e si y, No. 482, on 04/02/2024, and i
was men ioned in he in oduc o y pa ag aph ha his is
an in o med consen while illing ou he elec onic
su ey o m.
A i icial in elligence u iliza ion o a icle
w i ing
G amma ly was used o co ec g amma , punc ua ion,
spelling, and pa aph asing in a c i ical e iew acco ding
o he e hical code.
Acknowledgmen
The au ho s would like o hank all pa icipa ing
s uden s and e e yone who p o ided commen s and
sugges ions ha imp o ed his s udy.
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Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 1¦ 2025 71
Con lic o in e es s a emen
The au ho s con i m ha hey ha e no con lic ing
inancial in e es s o pe sonal ela ionships ha could
bias he wo k epo ed in his pape .
Au ho con ibu ions
FB and MS collec ed he ocus g oup da a and employed
he Delphi echnique. MD o e saw he s udy's design and
execu ion. FB and MD con ibu ed o da a analysis,
in e p e a ion, and manusc ip d a ing and e iewed he
manusc ip be o e submission. All au ho s ha e
e iewed and app o ed he inal manusc ip .
Funding
Damascus Uni e si y, Sy ia, suppo s his s udy.
Da a a ailabili y s a emen
Da a a e a ailable upon easonable eques . They a e s o ed as
de-iden i ied pa icipan da a, which a e a ailable upon eques
o babak d a [email protected].
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