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The Impact of Surgeon Experience on Script Concordance Test Scoring
Nada Gawad1, Timothy J Wood2, Anahita Malvea3
1Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Innovation in Medical Education (DIME), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Surgeon experience significantly impacts Script Concordance Test (SCT) scoring. Senior faculty panels revealed differences in resident performance, unlike junior panels, highlighting the importance of expert experience in clinical decision-making assessments.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Surgical Training
- Clinical Decision-Making
Background:
- The Script Concordance Test (SCT) assesses clinical decision-making using expert panels.
- While specialty-specific experts are valuable, the influence of experience within expert panels remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of surgeon experience in the scoring of the Script Concordance Test (SCT).
Main Methods:
- Administered SCT to general surgery residents and staff surgeons.
- Stratified staff surgeons into junior (<15 years post-residency) and senior (>25 years post-residency) groups.
- Scored SCT using full, senior, junior, and <5-year junior expert panels.
- Analyzed resident scores (R1 vs. R5) and conducted cognitive interviews.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in resident scores using full, junior, or <5-year junior panels.
- Senior faculty panels showed significantly lower scores for R1 residents compared to R5 residents (P=0.001).
- Cognitive interviews indicated junior experts may exhibit less response confidence than senior experts.
Conclusions:
- SCT scores are influenced by the experience level of the expert panel.
- Resident performance differences are evident only with senior faculty expert panels.
- Consideration of expert panel experience is crucial when developing SCTs for accurate clinical decision-making assessment.
