Toward validation of an assessment tool designed to measure medical students' integration of scientific knowledge and clinical communication skills

Eval Health Prof. 2003 Jun;26(2):222-33. doi: 10.1177/0163278703026002006.

Abstract

This article reports on a study undertaken to validate an assessment tool of medical students' ability to integrate clinical skills and scientific knowledge within the patient encounter. One hundred forty first-year medical students at the State University of New York at Buffalo examined a standardized patient with either acute lower back pain or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Forty-eight clinical exams were evaluated by two raters to test the interrater reliability of the instrument. Results were promising but mixed. The tool displayed high internal consistency. However, results from a generalizability study indicated that a significant amount of variance in student scores was due to faculty raters. It is recommended that future studies undertake a training workshop for raters and examine different cases in an effort to expand the flexibility of the instrument.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Attitude of Health Personnel
  • Clinical Competence*
  • Communication*
  • Education, Medical, Undergraduate / organization & administration
  • Education, Medical, Undergraduate / standards*
  • Female
  • Gastroesophageal Reflux / diagnosis
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  • Humans
  • Low Back Pain / diagnosis
  • Male
  • Medical History Taking / standards*
  • New York
  • Physician-Patient Relations
  • Problem-Based Learning / methods*
  • Students, Medical*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires / standards*
  • United States