Assessment of general practice consultations: content validity of a rating scale

A rating scale for assessing clinical performance of trainee general practitioners was constructed based on a contemporary definition of knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for competent general practice in Australia. The purpose of the rating scale is the provision of feedback to the trainee by both self-evaluation and evaluation by training supervisors. As part of a wider study into the use of videotaped genuine general practice consultations for teaching purposes, the content validity of the scale was examined by comparing the scale data with an open-ended rating form. The comparison resulted in six suggestions which might improve the precision of the instrument, and produce a compact practical scale suitable for the evaluation of general practice consultation.