OSVE or multiple-choice test: Is that a relevant question?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Skills Assessment
• Virtual Assessment Tools

Background:

• Traditional Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) are vital for assessing clinical skills but faced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Objective Structured Virtual Examination (OSVE) emerged as an alternative assessment method.
• This study evaluates the correlation of OSVE with other academic metrics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To correlate Objective Structured Virtual Examination (OSVE) scores with Multiple-Choice Test (MCT) results.
• To assess the relationship between OSVE scores and clerkship Grade Point Average (GPA).
• To determine the suitability of OSVE as a formative assessment tool in medical training.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 129 clerkships.
• Comparison of two OSVEs and two MCTs covering 5th and 6th-year curriculum content.
• Correlation analysis against final graduation grades (GPA).

Main Results:

• Positive correlations were found between OSVE and GPA (R=0.481 for 5th year, R=0.439 for 6th year).
• Moderate correlations were observed between MCT-5th and GPA (R=0.681).
• Mild to moderate correlations were noted between OSVE and MCT scores, with some exceptions (e.g., OSVE-6th and MCT-6th).

Conclusions:

• The correlations between OSVE, MCT, and GPA suggest they can be used interchangeably for formative assessment.
• OSVE and MCT are feasible and effective tools for enhancing intern training and monitoring.
• Virtual assessment methods offer a viable alternative for medical education continuity.