Docimological analysis of criterion-referenced checklists in Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) in...

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is an essential tool for assessing clinical competencies. [cite: 28] It has been used at the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis since 1998, yet few studies have analyzed its psychometric quality, particularly in emergency medicine. [cite: 29] This study aims to evaluate the validity, reliability, and fairness of the OSCE, with a focus on the contribution of checklist-based evaluation grids. [cite: 30] Methods: A prospective descriptive study was conducted in 2024-2025 among 60 third-year medical students (DCEM3). [cite: 31] The examination included 12 stations covering knowledge, skills, and professional behavior, scored using standardized checklist-based grids. [cite: 32] Analyses focused on success rates, difficulty and discrimination indices, Cronbach's alpha, and score distribution parameters. [cite: 33] Results: Sixty student scripts were analyzed. The overall pass rate was 96 %, with a mean score of 12.50 ± 1.53/20. [cite: 34] The average difficulty index (0.58) indicated acceptable difficulty, and Cronbach's alpha (0.85) reflected good internal consistency. [cite: 35] The mean discrimination index was low (0.16), but stations S11 and S12 (technical and communication skills) showed satisfactory discriminative ability, unlike the cognitive stations S1, S6, and S8. [cite: 36] Items of moderate difficulty offered the best discrimination (D ≈ 0.21). [cite: 37] The correlation between difficulty and discrimination was negligible (r = -0.0316). [cite: 38] Conclusion: The OSCE in emergency medicine generally meets psychometric recommendations, showing balanced difficulty, good reliability, and standardization through checklist-based grids. [cite: 39] Certain stations and items require revision to enhance discriminative power and improve differentiation among students. [cite: 40].