Psychometric Properties of Instruments Measuring Health Sciences Students' Perceptions of Objective Structured...

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Medical Education Assessment
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a critical assessment tool in health sciences education.
• Evaluating student perceptions of the OSCE is essential for refining assessment practices.
• A lack of validated instruments may hinder accurate assessment of student experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and evaluate the methodological quality of instruments measuring students' perceptions of the OSCE.
• To identify existing validated tools for assessing OSCE perceptions in health sciences.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review adhering to PRISMA guidelines was conducted.
• Seven electronic databases were searched, supplemented by manual reference searches (January 2014 - May 2025).
• The MERSQI checklist was used to assess the methodological quality of included studies.

Main Results:

• Out of 1,578 records, only two studies met the inclusion and quality criteria.
• Most identified instruments were author-developed questionnaires lacking psychometric rigor.
• Two validated instruments, SINE-OSCA Scale and OSCEPS, were identified with varying psychometric properties.

Conclusions:

• There is a significant scarcity of psychometrically validated instruments for measuring student perceptions of the OSCE.
• The SINE-OSCA Scale and OSCEPS show promise, but further development and validation are needed.
• Developing robust tools is crucial to support effective assessment practices in health sciences education.