The Predictive Value of the Residency AOBFP In-Service Exam, Produced and Administered by ACOFP

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Competency Assessment
• Osteopathic Medicine

Background:

• Board certification is crucial for ensuring quality healthcare in medical specialties.
• The American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians' (AOBFP) In-Service Examination (ISE) assesses resident competency for the AOBFP certifying examination (CE).
• Unique assessment methods are vital for monitoring osteopathic family physician development and public safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if performance on the AOBFP ISE predicts performance on the AOBFP CE.
• To determine if the ISE effectively prepares residents for safe entry into medical practice.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from 1,893 residents (PGY-1 to PGY-3) from 2016-2018.
• Matching In-Service Examination (ISE) scores with initial board Certifying Examination (CE) scores.

Main Results:

• Correlations between ISE administrations over 3 years were in the mid-to-high .6 range.
• ISE scores correlated with CE scores in the mid .4 to high .5 range.
• Positive predictive value was 0.99, and sensitivity was 0.91.

Conclusions:

• In-Service Examinations (ISE) during residency are effective for developing remediation strategies for successful Certifying Examination (CE) performance.
• Osteopathic principles must be integrated into resident training exams like the ISE, mirroring the AOBFP CE content.