A multi-institutional study of the Family Conference Objective Structured Clinical Exam: a reliable assessment of professional communication. Am J Surg 2011 Apr;201(4):492-7
Date
09/21/2010Pubmed ID
20850709DOI
10.1016/j.amjsurg.2010.02.006Scopus ID
2-s2.0-79952984664 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 20 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: To test the value of a simulated Family Conference Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) for resident assessment purposes, we examined the generalizability and construct validity of its scores in a multi-institutional study.
METHODS: Thirty-four first-year (PG1) and 27 third-year (PG3) surgery residents (n = 61) from 6 training programs were tested. The OSCE consisted of 2 cases (End-of-Life [EOL] and Disclosure of Complications [DOC]). At each program, 2 clinicians and 2 standardized family members rated residents using case-specific tools. Performance was measured as the percentage of possible score obtained. We examined the generalizability of scores for each case separately. To assess construct validity, we compared PG1 with PG3 performance using repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).
RESULTS: The relative G-coefficient for EOL was .890. For DOC, the relative G-coefficient was .716. There were no significant performance differences between PG1 and PG3 residents.
CONCLUSIONS: This OSCE provides reliable assessments suitable for formative evaluation of residents' interpersonal communication skills and professionalism.
Author List
Chipman JG, Webb TP, Shabahang M, Heller SF, vanCamp JM, Waer AL, Luxenberg MG, Christenson M, Schmitz CCMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Clinical CompetenceCommunication
Educational Measurement
General Surgery
Humans
Internship and Residency
Patient Simulation
Postoperative Complications
Professional-Family Relations
Reproducibility of Results
Terminal Care
Truth Disclosure
