Comprehensive Integrated Assessment for Asian Medical Graduates

Asia houses 45% of medical schools of the world and a large number of graduates migrate to developed countries of the western region. Most of these schools have acquired integration in undergrad medical education; however, assessment is still disintegrated in almost all, potentially risking the quality of medical graduates. This paper explains the need and concept of Comprehensive Integrated Assessment (CIA) for final year medical students and how it can be beneficial for graduating medical students compared to the traditional discipline-based assessment. The concept has developed by Establishment of Medical Education and Research (EMER), a group of medical educationists from different regions, working together for the development of medical education. The paper discusses the pros and cons of integrated assessment and provides suggestions for its implementation in medical colleges of Pakistan.