The Scientific Rigor of the Objective Structured Examination for Competency Assessment in Health Sciences Education: A Systematic Review.

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Background and Purpose.: The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is widely used as an assessment of competency in health sciences education. The aim of our systematic review was to appraise the scientific rigor of the OSCE as a comp...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Physical Therapy Education (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins) Vol. 36; no. 4; pp. 322 - 334
Main Authors: Pelland, Lucie, Kolomitro, Klodiana, Hopkins-Rosseel, Diana, Durando, Paola
Format: research systematic review tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Dec2022
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=160258089&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ccm
    uiTerm: 160258089
    longDbName: CINAHL Complete
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    dissinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        08991855
        LETN
      jtl: Journal of Physical Therapy Education (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins)
      issn: 08991855
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Dec2022
      vid: 36
      iid: 4
      pid: 5086
      pub: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
      place: Baltimore, Maryland
    artinfo:
      ui:
        160258089
        160258089
        160258089
        10.1097/JTE.0000000000000258
        160258089
      ppf: 322
      ppct: 12
      formats:
      tig:
        atl: The Scientific Rigor of the Objective Structured Examination for Competency Assessment in Health Sciences Education: A Systematic Review.
      aug:
        au:
          Pelland, Lucie
          Kolomitro, Klodiana
          Hopkins-Rosseel, Diana
          Durando, Paola
        affil: associate professor, School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Physical Therapy Program, School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University.
      sug:
        subj:
          Education, Health Sciences
          Education, Physical Therapy
          Clinical Competence
          Competency Assessment Methods
          Credentialing Examinations Methods
          Credentialing Examinations Evaluation
          Human
          Systematic Review
          Medline
          CINAHL Database
          Embase
          Psycinfo
          ERIC Database
          Curriculum
          Medical Practice
          Confidence
          Education, Competency-Based
          Checklists
          Academic Achievement
      ab: Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Background and Purpose.: The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is widely used as an assessment of competency in health sciences education. The aim of our systematic review was to appraise the scientific rigor of the OSCE as a competency-based assessment in health sciences education, including physical therapy. Methods.: Our search was performed in 6 databases—Ovid MEDLINE(R), CINAHL, EMBASE, APA PsycINFO, ERIC, and Web of Science—to identify original data evaluating the OSCE in programs of education in physical therapy and related health sciences disciplines. Data were extracted as per the Utility Model to evaluate the validity, educational impact, reliability, acceptability, and costs of the OSCE in these programs. Results.: The search identified 106 records, with 13 studies meeting our eligibility criteria. The OSCE is distinct from traditional clinical assessments, with low-to-fair concurrent validity between the 2 assessment types. The OSCE was used for instructional design, namely, curriculum development and alignment, and for educational practice, namely, making decisions on students' readiness for practice. Limitations of the OSCE include poor-to-low validity to predict practice readiness and low-to-acceptable reliability, with student-specific, domain-specific, and examiner-specific effects on outcomes identified. Strategies were provided which could improve the scientific rigor of the OSCE. Discussion and Conclusion.: Based on current evidence, the scientific rigor of the OSCE may be insufficient to support its use to make academic decisions on students' standing in health sciences programs, including physical therapy, and readiness for clinical practice, with confidence. However, the OSCE can play an important role in instructional design and in guiding student learning. Protocol registration: PROSPERO, ID 162338.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        systematic review
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
    refInfo:
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N