The Script Concordance Test in anesthesiology: Validation of a new tool for assessing clinical reasoning

To evaluate whether the Script Concordance Test (SCT) can discriminate between levels of experience among anesthesiology residents and attending physicians.

Multicenter (Toulouse, Nantes, Bordeaux and Limoges), prospective, observational study.

A SCT made of 60 items was used to evaluate "junior residents" (n=60), "senior residents" (n=47) and expert anesthesiologists (n=10).

There were no missing data in our study. Mean scores (±SD) were 69.9 (±6.1), 73.1 (±6.5) and 82.0 (±3.5) out of a potential score of 100 for "junior residents", "senior residents" and expert anesthesiologists, respectively. Results were statistically different between the 3 groups (P=0.001) using the Kruskall-Wallis test. The Cronbach's α score was 0.63.

The SCT is a valid and useful tool for discriminating between anesthesia providers with varying levels of experience in anesthesiology. It may be a useful tool for documenting the progression of reasoning during anesthesia residency.