European College of Equine Internal Medicine

Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS)

DOPS is a tool designed to assess the performance of a resident in undertaking a practical procedure against a structured checklist. The majority of DOPS are relating to anaesthesia, infection control, hand-hygiene etc.… but DOPS have also been designed for other practical procedures such as obtaining blood or bacteriology samples. The resident receives immediate feedback to identify strengths and areas for development.