[Correlation between Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) and knowledge examination scores and analysis of factors associated with better OSCE success in fourth and fifth year medicine students at Dijon university hospital]

Abstract

Rationale: Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) were introduced to evaluate students not only on their knowledge, but also on their clinical skills and attitudes. The objectives were to study the correlation between OSCE scores and scores obtained to traditional knowledge examinations and to analyse factors associated with better OSCE performance in DFASM1 and 2 students at Dijon university hospital.

Methods: This was a prospective observational study conducted among all fourth and fifth year medical students in Dijon. The scores on the OSCE elective tests (2022) and the average score on the knowledge tests (2021-2022) were collected and their correlation measured. A questionnaire asked students about their demographic characteristics, their investment in formative and practicum OSCEs, their level of empathy (Jefferson questionnaire) and their personality traits (NEO-Pi-R).

Results: Of 549 students, 513 completed all tests. Scores on OSCE and faculty knowledge tests were correlated (r=0.39, P<0.001). Of these, 111 (20%) students responded to the questionnaire, and 97 were analized. We did not observe any significant difference between students who performed better on OSCEs than on knowledge tests and those who did not, regarding their age, their investment in formative tests, their personality traits or their level of empathy.

Conclusion: Our results underline the need to optimize the evaluation of empathy and clinical skills in OSCE tests, using new tools, in order to better discriminate between students on these skills.

Keywords: Compétence; Connaissance; Doctor-patient relationship; ECOS; Empathie; Empathy; Know-how; Knowledge; OSCE; Personality; Personnalité; Relation médecin-patient.