Validity and reliability of OSCE in evaluating practical performance skills of interns in emergency medicine

Abstract EN

Background and Objectives There is an increasing tendency to use Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as an evaluative tool of clinical performance and competence and as a certification tool.

However, hesitancy and concerns about its validity, reliability and feasibility do exist in many parts of the world.

The objectives of the present study were to determine the validity and reliability of OSCE as an assessment tool in the assessment of interns' emergency medicine performance skills.

Methods A well organized comprehensive nine OSCE stations were chosen to assess the practical skills of an entire cohort of the Duhok College of Medicine 2008/09 graduates serving as interns in Duhok teaching hospitals at the time the study was conducted.

The practical performance skill of a randomly selected sample of 21 interns was assessed by OSCE after having subjected to a task-based training course on emergency medicine procedures performance.

Both, predictive and concurrent validity, as well as intra- and interrater reliability of OSCE as an assessment tool were measured.

Results Both the predictive and concurrent validity of the OSCE were highly significant (r =0.784, p < 0.001; and r =0.880, p < 0.001 respectively).

The intra- and inter-reliability results of the OSCE tool were significant as well (r=0.810, p < 0.001; and r=0.927, p < 0.001, respectively).

Conclusion The OSCE is valid and reliable practical assessment tool and yields dependable information about the performance capabilities of individual interns.

Moreover, it can provide a reasonable feedback about the quality of undergraduate medical education.