Rater Bias in Simulation Performance Assessment: Examining the Effect of Participant Race/Ethnicity.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Simulation
• Clinical Judgment Assessment

Background:

• The Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR) is a validated tool for assessing clinical judgment.
• Limited research exists on potential biases, such as race or ethnicity, influencing LCJR scores in simulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if simulation participant race/ethnicity affects Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR) scores.
• To evaluate the fairness and validity of LCJR in diverse simulation contexts.

Main Methods:

• Video-recorded nursing simulations featuring diverse participants were rated by 68 individuals.
• Statistical analysis compared LCJR scores across participants of different racial/ethnic backgrounds.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were found in LCJR scores based on simulation participant race/ethnicity.
• This provides validity evidence for the LCJR's unbiased application.

Conclusions:

• The Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR) can be reliably used to assess student performance in simulations.
• Further research into simulation evaluation practices is recommended to ensure equitable assessment.