Using standardized patients' marks in scoring postgraduate psychiatry OSCEs

Standardized patients (SPs) do not contribute scores in postgraduate psychiatry objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) in the United Kingdom. However, this may change in the near future. The primary aim of this study was to measure the degree of agreement between scores given by examiners and those given by SPs in an OSCE.

The authors measured the degree of agreement in two consecutive postgraduate OSCEs for psychiatric residents on a London training scheme.

Fifty-five candidates participated in the two OSCEs. There was a moderate degree of agreement between examiner and SP scores for communication and for the overall mark. However, there was a stronger relationship between the examiner score for communication and the candidates' overall mark.

Examiners and SPs scored candidates differently. Therefore, the decision to include SP scores in the marking scheme for postgraduate OSCEs would be a significant development.