Scoring consistency of standard patients and examiners in the developed dental objective structured clinical examination system

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of standard patients (SPs) and examiners as assessors for scoring in the dental objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) system and to evaluate the scoring differences between them.

METHODS

We developed the doctor-patient communication and clinical examination station in the OSCE system. The examination time of this station was 10 min, and the examination institution wrote the script and recruited SPs. A total of 146 examinees who received standardized resident training at the Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University between 2018 and 2021 were assessed. They were scored by SPs and examiners according to the same scoring rubrics. Subsequently, the SPSS software was used to analyze the examination results of different assessors and evaluate the consistency.

RESULTS

The average score of all examinees provided by SPs and examiners was 90.45 ± 3.52 and 91.53 ± 4.13, respectively. The consistency analysis showed that the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.718, which was indicative of medium consistency.

CONCLUSION

Our findings showed that SPs could be used directly as assessors, as they could provide a simulated and realistic clinical setting and create favorable conditions for comprehensive competence training and improvement for medical students.

Dental hygiene educators' knowledge and implementation of objective structured clinical examination in United States dental hygiene programs

PURPOSE

In 2021, the American Dental Association (ADA) announced the intention to develop a standardized dental hygiene licensure objective structured clinical examination (DHLOSCE). The purpose of this study was to measure the United States (US) dental hygiene (DH) educators' foundational knowledge of OSCE development and delivery in light of the impending development of the DHLOSCE by the ADA's Testing Services.

METHODS

The study was determined to be exempt from Institutional Review Board oversight. A 21-question survey was developed, pilot tested, and electronically disseminated through Qualtrics. The survey recruitment was emailed to the directors of all entry-level DH education programs in the US (n = 328), asking them to participate in the survey and to forward it to the clinical faculty in their institutions. Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to analyze the data.

RESULTS

There were 143 study participants, for a completion rate of 45%. Over two-thirds of respondents (64%) were unaware of the plans to develop the DHLOSCE, while 13% reported utilizing OSCEs to meet accreditation standards. Only 3% reported receiving a formal education in OSCE development compared to 29% who learned through a colleague or peer. Nearly half reported a lack of faculty experience as a barrier to OSCE implementation. Over three-quarters, 76% reported a lack of OCSE development committees within their program and only 14% had experience developing an OSCE station.

CONCLUSION

The study results suggest an urgent need for the development of OSCE training resources specific to DH education, as programs across the US prepare for the impending DHLOSCE.