Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 26, 2026
Using Learning Outcome Measures to assess Doctoral Nursing Education
Published on: June 21, 2010
Tools to Assess Behavioral and Social Science Competencies in Medical Education: A Systematic Review
Patricia A Carney1, Ryan T Palmer, Marissa Fuqua Miller
1P.A. Carney is professor of family medicine and of public health and preventive medicine, Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, Portland, Oregon. R.T. Palmer is assistant professor of family medicine, Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, Portland, Oregon. M.F. Miller is senior research assistant, Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, Portland, Oregon. E.K. Thayer is research assistant, Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, Portland, Oregon. S.E. Estroff is professor, Department of Social Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. D.K. Litzelman is D. Craig Brater Professor of Medicine and senior director for research in health professions education and practice, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana. F.E. Biagioli is professor of family medicine, Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, Portland, Oregon. C.R. Teal is assistant professor, Department of Medicine, and director, Educational Evaluation and Research, Office of Undergraduate Medical Education, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. A. Lambros is active emeritus associate professor, Social Sciences & Health Policy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. W.J. Hatt is programmer analyst, Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, Portland, Oregon. J.M. Satterfield is professor of clinical medicine, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, San Francisco, California.
This systematic review identified and evaluated assessment tools for behavioral and social science (BSS) competencies in healthcare education. While many tools exist, more rigorous validation is needed to improve BSS competency development.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education Research
- Health Professions Education
- Behavioral and Social Sciences in Healthcare
Background:
- Quality healthcare delivery necessitates behavioral and social science (BSS) competencies.
- Validated assessment tools for BSS competencies are scarce and often not aligned with established frameworks like LCME and ACGME.
- This gap hinders effective evaluation of BSS competency development in health professions training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically identify and evaluate the quality of existing assessment tools for BSS competencies in health professions education.
- To map identified BSS competencies and their assessment tools to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) standards and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies.
- To provide a resource for medical educators and researchers seeking to measure and improve BSS competencies.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases (OVID, CINAHL, PubMed, ERIC, etc.) for articles published between January 2002 and March 2014.
- 5,104 titles and abstracts were screened, with a focus on articles reporting psychometric or validity/reliability testing of BSS assessment tools.
- Included articles were categorized based on their quality and mapped to LCME and ACGME frameworks.
Main Results:
- Out of 114 included articles, 33 (29%) demonstrated strong evidence for assessment tools targeting communication skills, cultural competence, empathy, behavioral health counseling, professionalism, and teamwork.
- Moderate evidence was found in 62 (54%) articles, and weak evidence in 19 (17%) articles.
- All LCME standards and ACGME core competencies were addressed by the assessed tools, with communication skills being the most frequently measured competency.
Conclusions:
- The findings offer a valuable resource for medical educators and researchers evaluating BSS competencies.
- There is a critical need for more rigorous validation and testing of measurement tools.
- Future research should employ robust study designs to elucidate the impact of educational strategies on BSS competency development.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Self-Report Tests of Personality
01:26Modeling in Therapy
Participant Modeling
Participant modeling involves therapists demonstrating calm and effective behaviors in...
01:19Methods to Assess Microbial Communities