Relationship Between Dental Students’ Performance on Standardized multiple‐Choice Examinations and OSCEs

Effective communication between doctors and patients is a central requirement for good clinical practice. The doctor's interpersonal skills contribute to patient satisfaction and compliance and can positively influence health outcomes [1]. The Royal College of Anaesthetists seeks to assess candidates' communication skills through simulated patient interviews at the primary FRCA objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). We examined the relationship between the objective OSCE mark and the subjective opinions of the participants in the interview. Candidates at the Coventry Primary FRCA Viva/OSCE course take part in mock OSCE examinations which include communication skills stations in which professional actors play the role of patients. After each such station, both the actor and the candidate were asked to complete a proforma giving their opinions of the candidates' communication skills during the interview. A total of 32 doctor:patient encounters were recorded. These were converted to percentages and compared with each other and with the OSCE mark. Comparisons showed that there was no correlation between the OSCE score and either the patient score or the candidate score suggesting that the OSCE score was a poor predictor of simulated patient satisfaction with the interpersonal and communication skills of the doctor. Mean OSCE marks were 87%, exceeding the mean scores given by simulated patients of 65% and by candidates of 77%. The OSCE scores were compared to the simulated patient scores using the paired t-test. This showed that OSCE marks significantly exceeded the simulated patient score (p < 0.0001). The mean scores given by candidates exceeded those given by actors for all criteria measuring communication skills and satisfaction. These results suggest that the OSCE station fails adequately to assess patient satisfaction with doctors' communication skills. The results also demonstrate that candidates have a falsely high opinion of how effectively they are communicating with patients. In training anaesthetists we must stress the importance of communication and there may be an argument for subjective patient input in the scoring of communication skills stations.

Utilization of objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) for final assessment of medical students in Internal Medicine requires a representative sample of OSCE stations. The reliability and generalizability of OSCE scores provides validity evidence for OSCE scores and supports its contribution to the final clinical grade of medical students. The objective of this study was to perform item analysis using OSCE stations as the unit of analysis and evaluate the extent to which OSCE score reliability can be improved using item analysis data. OSCE scores from eight cohorts of fourth-year medical students (n = 435) in a 6-year undergraduate program were analyzed. Generalizability (G) coefficients of OSCE scores were computed for each cohort. Item analysis was performed by considering each OSCE station as an item and computing the corrected item-total correlation. OSCE stations which negatively impacted the reliability were deleted and the G-coefficient was recalculated. The G-coefficients of OSCE scores from the eight cohorts ranged from 0.48 to 0.80 (median 0.62). The median number of OSCE stations that negatively impacted the G-coefficient was 3.5 (out of a median of 25 total stations). When the ''problem stations'' were deleted, the median G-coefficient across eight cohorts increased to 0.62--0.72. In conclusion, item analysis of OSCE stations is useful and should be performed to improve the reliability of total OSCE scores. Problem stations can then be identified and improved.

Introduction: In the field of medical education, the evaluation process of communication and clinical skills training is known as Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). OSCE can be assessed using the global rating method, which is a method of subjective evaluation by examiners and standardized patients of student performance. Objective: The study aims to examine the relationship between the subjectivity of examiners and standardized patients in OSCE scores using the global rating method. Methods: The study involved 985 students from the Faculty of Medicine at Maranatha Christian University who participated in the Local OSCE from December 2021 until January 2022. Secondary data were analyzed using logistic regression in SPSS software and presented in tables and multivariate analysis. Results: The global rating assessment by examiners showed a significant relationship with OSCE scores (p&lt;0.001), while the global rating assessment by standardized patients did not show a significant relationship with OSCE scores (p&gt;0.05). This indicates that the evaluation by examiners has a greater influence on OSCE results compared to the assessment by standardized patients. Recommendations: More comprehensive training is needed for standardized patients in conducting assessments using the global rating method to minimize bias. Furthermore, future research is recommended to explore other factors that may influence OSCE assessments to improve the validity and reliability of the evaluation.

Objective To explore the effect of objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in pediatric dental education. Methods Thirty 8-year-program students and sixty 5-year-program dental students from School of Stomatology, the Fourth Military Medical University were enrolled in this study. OSCE traditional written test and the students′ satisfaction questionnaires were carried out in all students. The scores of the two testing methods applied in 2 groups were compared using SPSS 18.0 software. Results The OSCE score of the five-year-program students was 61.68 ± 5.22, while that of the eight-year-program students was 58.13 ± 6.54 (t= 0.564, P= 0.579) . And the traditional test scores of the five-year-program students and eight-year-program students were 87.90 ± 4.52 and 82.56 ± 4.44 respectively (t= 2.712, P= 0.013) . There was no significant difference in OSCE scores between the two grades. The traditional test score of the five-year-program students was higher than that of the eight-year-program students, and the scores of OSCE and the traditional test were in good agreement. 71.11% of students rated higher in OSCE. Conclusions OSCE can evaluate the comprehensive quality of students objectively, truly and comprehensively, and can achieve good results in pediatric dental education. It is worthy of further promotion. Key words: Pediatric dentistry; Education, undergraduate; Objective structured clinical examination; Eight-year-program students; Five-year-program students

The undergraduate MBBS course (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) in India is designed to produce competent Indian Medical Graduates (IMGs) capable of addressing community health needs. The preparedness of these graduates for clinical practice remains a crucial area of investigation. Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) have emerged as a robust assessment tool for evaluating clinical competencies. This study aims to assess the feasibility and utility of the OSCE when used as an end-of-internship evaluation, describe temporal trends in OSCE performance, and analyze the correlation between OSCE scores and final-year MBBS examination results over a six-year period at a center in South India. A descriptive study was conducted at a medical college in South India, involving six batches of students (2017-2023; n = 469). OSCE stations were designed to assess cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains. The feasibility and utility of this exercise was assessed. OSCE scores were analyzed across domains and subdomains, and correlations with final-year MBBS examination scores were explored using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. The OSCE was found to be a resource-intensive evaluation, requiring 528 faculty-hours for a batch of 60 students and 843 faculty-hours for a batch of 150. The mean OSCE score was 61.3 ± 8.0%, with the highest performance in the affective domain (72.1 ± 14.2%) and the lowest in the cognitive domain (50.0 ± 15.4%). Notably, psychomotor skills were inversely correlated with cognitive skills (-0.41, p < 0.001). OSCE scores were weakly correlated with final-year MBBS examination marks (r = 0.44, p < 0.001), with stronger correlations in smaller batches (r = 0.57, p < 0.001) than larger ones (r = 0.44, p < 0.001). The COVID-19 pandemic and increased batch sizes negatively impacted clinical and technical skill performance. It is feasible to conduct OSCEs as an end of internship assessment in a medical college. OSCEs serve as a comprehensive assessment tool, underscoring the importance of multi-modal evaluation strategies. Conducting OSCEs serves as an appropriate assessment of the MBBS training programme so as to subsequently tailor the programme according to performance in various subjects, domains and subdomains.

ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the effect of clinical clerkship-associated achievements, such as performance of procedures at the student clinic, observation, and attitude towards a clerkship, on the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) scores of dental students graduating in restorative dentistry.Materials and MethodsThe OSCEs consisted of two stations designed to assess students' clinical skills regarding cavity preparation for a class II gold inlay and a class IV composite restoration. The clerkship achievements, consisting of the number of student clinical procedures performed, observation-related OSCE, and scores of their attitudes towards a conservative dentistry clerkship, were assessed. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted.ResultsThe correlation coefficient between the OSCE scores for cavity preparation for a class II gold restoration and clerkship attitude scores was 0.241 (p < 0.05). Regarding a class IV composite restoration, OSCE scores showed statistically significant correlations with the observation (r = 0.344, p < 0.01) and attitude (r = 0.303, p < 0.01) scores. In a multiple regression analysis, attitudes towards a clerkship (p = 0.033) was associated with the cavity preparation for a class II gold inlay OSCE scores, while the number of procedure observations (p = 0.002) was associated with the class IV composite restoration OSCE scores.ConclusionsThe number of clinical procedures performed by students, which is an important requirement for graduation, showed no correlation with either of the OSCEs scores.

Revisiting 'Assessment of clinical competence using an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE)'.

It has been argued that the best method of acquiring clinical reasoning is through seeing new out-patients. The purpose of this interventional study was to establish a clinical clerkship course for Japanese medical students in an out-patient care setting, with multiple opportunities for reflective practice and improving the clinical reasoning abilities of the students. The effectiveness of the course was also examined. Students performed examinations of new patients and made diagnostic decisions in 20minutes. They presented their case using the SNAPPS (Summarize the case, Narrow the differential, Analyze the differential, Probe the preceptor, Plan management, and Select an issue for self directed learning) method, and this was followed by feedback from faculty members using the 1-minute preceptor method and a mini clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX). Students' clinical reasoning abilities were assessed by the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and the script concordance test (SCT). Students' written comments and responses to an interview about the course were also analysed. Cross-sectional data were examined by comparing individual OSCE and SCT scores, and the multiple-choice question examination (MCQ) completed by students who did and did not participate in this project. Students in the programme had higher scores on the mini-CEX in all areas. The SCT and OSCE scores were also significantly higher than the scores for the control group. Students' comments about the course, which provided an opportunity for daily reflection, were positive. Students rapidly acquired clinical reasoning skills through reflective practice. Students also demonstrated motivation to learn through the examination of new patients. The clinical clerkship programme with multiple opportunities for reflective practice in an out-patient care setting substantially improved the clinical reasoning abilities of medical students.

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) recommended in nursing education is a new concept in practical assessment especially in psychiatric nursing. The validity of the examination is improved in OSCE as this tool tests both the process and the product with much importance to individual competency. A cross sectional study was conducted at Apollo College of Nursing, Chennai, affiliated to Tamilnadu Dr M. G. R Medical University among the, 3rd B. Sc Nursing students using simulated patients. Participants included 80 students selected through purposive sampling technique. Data was collected by evaluating the students ’performance using predetermined selfdeveloped station checklists in OSCE and answer keys in other form of examinations by the examiners. Validity was established by correlating OSCE scores with examination scores obtained by students in short answers test, and second term examination in psychiatric nursing. Collected data was entered in SPSS-16, and analyzed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics. OSCE scores show a high positive correlation with short answers test (0.86) and Term Examination (0.82) which was found to be statistically significant (P<0.001) indicating the good concurrent validity of OSCE. Thus this study was conducted to assess the students ’performance and validity of OSCE as a part of evaluation in Psychiatric Nursing.

BackgroundMedical students learn and practice various clinical skills during clinical clerkship. Patient encounters are important for developing clinical thinking, communication skills, and professional attitude. We investigated whether the amount of clinical experience during clerkship correlated with students’ clinical competency and students’ perception of effectiveness of their clerkship on it.MethodsFourth year medical students undertook the Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) in August 2012. Students provided the number of patients for whom they took medical histories or performed physical examinations during clerkship and provided feedback as to whether or not the clinical clerkship was helpful in preparing OSCE. The correlation between the OSCE score and number of patients was analyzed.ResultsOne hundred thirty students completed the questionnaire (86.6%). OSCE scores correlated with the total number of patients encountered for physical examinations (correlation coefficient, 0.274; p = 0.0105). Cumulative 3-year GPAs were positively correlated with OSCE scores (correlation coefficient, 0.330; p = 0.0001). Most (92.3%) answered that their clinical clerkship was helpful in preparing them for the OSCE; however, only 20% felt that their clinical clerkship was most helpful. Others felt that role playing (38.46%) or the guide book (33.84%) was most helpful.ConclusionsThe amount of clinical experience during the students’ clerkship had a small but positive relationship with students’ clinical performance. Further research to elucidate the influence of clinical experience on clinical competency is needed.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1472-6920-14-209) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Assessing clinical competence of medical students in women’s health care: use of the objective structured clinical examination

The objective of this study was to determine if the addition of a reflective writing component in a fourth year (P-2) pharmacy communication skills course would significantly affect 2 measures of learning: (1) objective multiple choice examination questions and (2) a patient counseling Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) score. Using a nonequivalent group quasi-experimental retrospective comparison design, 98 randomly selected final examination scores from students taking a nonwriting intensive (NWI) communication skills course were compared with 112 randomly selected final examination scores from students that took a communication skills course in which students engaged in several reflective writing assignments. In addition, 91 randomly selected patient counseling OSCE scores from a NWI course were statistically compared with 112 scores from students that took the writing intensive (WI) course. There were statistically significant improvements in multiple choice examination scores in the group that took the reflective writing communication skills course. There was not a statistically significant difference in patient counseling OSCE scores after students completed the WI course. Studying the effects of using reflective writing assignments in communication skills courses may improve the retention and retrieval of information presented within the course.

PurposeThe biases that may influence objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) scoring are well understood, and recent research has attempted to establish the magnitude of their impact. However, the influence of examiner experience, clinical seniority, and occupation on communication and physical examination scores in OSCEs has not yet been clearly established.MethodsWe compared the mean scores awarded for generic and clinical communication and physical examination skills in 2 undergraduate medicine OSCEs in relation to examiner characteristics (gender, examining experience, occupation, seniority, and speciality). The statistical significance of the differences was calculated using the 2-tailed independent t-test and analysis of variance.ResultsFive hundred and seventeen students were examined by 237 examiners at the University of New South Wales in 2014 and 2016. Examiner gender, occupation (academic, clinician, or clinical tutor), and job type (specialist or generalist) did not significantly impact scores. Junior doctors gave consistently higher scores than senior doctors in all domains, and this difference was statistically significant for generic and clinical communication scores. Examiner experience was significantly inversely correlated with generic communication scores.ConclusionWe suggest that the assessment of examination skills may be less susceptible to bias because this process is fairly prescriptive, affording greater scoring objectivity. We recommend training to define the marking criteria, teaching curriculum, and expected level of performance in communication skills to reduce bias in OSCE assessment.

Introduction Peer involvement in objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) offers opportunities for peer assessment, teaching, and reflective learning through collaborative feedback.[1] Despite the reported benefits, peer-involved OSCEs are underutilised in health professions education. With limited evidence on peer-involved OSCEs in pharmacy education, a formative peer-involved OSCE was introduced for final year pharmacy students in University College Cork in 2024 to evaluate its potential curricular benefits based on student feedback. Aim To explore final year pharmacy students’ views of a peer-involved OSCE initiative. Methods Final year pharmacy students were organised into groups; each were assigned one case with actor briefs and candidate instructions for one OSCE station and had to create this station’s assessment checklist. Students rotated between the OSCE’s four stations to undertake roles as pharmacists, assessors, actors, and observers. Each station comprised one minute of reading time, five minutes of interactive time, followed by eight minutes to provide peer feedback to those in pharmacist roles. A cross-sectional anonymous online survey was administered following OSCE completion, which included questions on the OSCE’s usefulness, impact on future performance, and views on peer-to-peer feedback, as well as open comment sections. Eligible respondents comprised those who had participated in the peer-involved OSCE. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative responses were narratively synthesised. Results Of the 58 final year pharmacy students, 44 participated in the OSCE, all of whom completed the survey. All students found the session valuable, with most finding the session very/extremely valuable (90.9%). Nearly all agreed that the OSCE’s i) peer assessment helped enhanced their understanding of good clinical and communication skills (95.5%), ii) peer feedback received was constructive and helpful for improving performance (97.7%), and iii) opportunity to observe diverse student approaches was very/extremely useful (95.5%). Whilst most felt comfortable or very comfortable in receiving feedback from peers (90.9%), a minority (13%) believed that peer feedback could impact relationships outside the OSCE environment. Nearly all (95.5%) recommended incorporating peer-involved OSCEs into the curriculum. Findings from open comments included that the session allowed students to see OSCEs from a new perspective, with a desire for more structured guidance in OSCE checklist development. Despite a ‘more relaxed environment,’ there was still a ‘pressure to do well’ and not ‘seem incompetent’ in front of peers, whilst some found it challenging to give critical feedback due to peer relationships. Conclusion This is the first study to explore pharmacy students’ perspectives on peer-involved-OSCEs, which found that peer involvement in a formative OSCE created new viewpoints for students to enhance their skills and inform future performance. While the study’s small sample size, unidisciplinary focus, and single-site nature may limit the findings’ transferability and generalisability to other pharmacy and healthcare programs, the study is strengthened by the survey’s full response—ensuring that the findings reflect the views of all participants and reducing the risk of response bias. This study highlights the value of peer-based learning strategies for optimising OSCE pedagogy and suggests that peer-involved OSCEs could be considered for earlier integration into health professions curricula.

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a widely accepted method for assessing clinical competence in medical education. The OSCE is a standardized, objective method to evaluate the clinical skills of medical students, encompassing history-taking, examination skills, and communication. As medical education shifts towards competency-based curricula, understanding student perspectives on OSCE becomes vital. Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) surveys provide valuable insight into how students perceive and prepare for this form of assessment. This study aimed to assess the KAP of interns regarding OSCE. A structured KAP questionnaire was administered to 150 interns from a tertiary medical college. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results indicated that while the majority of students had adequate knowledge and a positive attitude toward OSCE, practice preparedness varied. The findings highlight the need for enhanced orientation and training to improve practical readiness for OSCE. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 interns at Mahaveer Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Bhopal, India. Responses were scored and analysed using SPSSStatistics for Windows, Version 25.0 (Released 2017; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the survey data. Out of 150 students, 138 completed the questionnaire (response rate: 92%). For knowledge, 78% demonstrated good knowledge of the OSCE components and structure. For attitude, 85% expressed a positive attitude, believing the OSCE to be a fair and useful assessment method. For practice, only 60% reported engaging in regular practice or mock OSCEs. Common barriers included limited access to practice materials and time constraints. Interns possess good knowledge and a positive attitude towards OSCE but require more opportunities for hands-on practice. Medical colleges should focus on structured OSCE training programs to improve students' clinical competency and assessment readiness.