The objective clinical evaluation in multiple stations in nutrition : Docrimological analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Nutritional Sciences
• Assessment and Evaluation

Background:

• The Faculty of Medicine of Tunis implemented Objective Clinical Evaluation in Multiple Stations (ECOSM) in 1998 for final internship evaluations.
• The docimological properties of ECOSM have not been previously assessed in the field of nutrition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a docimological analysis of the ECOSM in nutrition for second-year medical students (DCEM 2).

Main Methods:

• A prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted.
• The study involved DCEM 2 students undertaking internships at the National Institute of Nutrition in Tunis during the 2017-2018 academic year.

Main Results:

• The overall ECOSM average score was 13.92 ± 1.45 out of 20.
• Half of the stations were of acceptable difficulty, and 37% of questions showed good or excellent discrimination.
• The average Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.62, indicating unacceptable internal homogeneity and significant heterogeneity. Coefficients for all stations and questions were below 0.7.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights the need to improve the internal consistency and homogeneity of the ECOSM in nutrition.
• Recommendations include raising awareness among students and faculty regarding the importance of evaluating internship objectives prior to the ECOSM to address knowledge gaps.