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Assessing the ability of medical students to apply evidence in practice: the potential of the OSCE
Author(s) -
Bradley Paul,
Humphris Gerry
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
medical education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.776
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1365-2923
pISSN - 0308-0110
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2923.1999.00466.x
Subject(s) - objective structured clinical examination , critical appraisal , medical education , psychology , evidence based medicine , evidence based practice , educational measurement , clinical practice , medline , medicine , curriculum , nursing , alternative medicine , pedagogy , pathology , political science , law
Objectives Critical analysis and application of evidence‐based practice are key skills for students to master. Assessment of these skills can be undertaken by written examination. Regardless of how knowledge of the appraisal process may be assessed, written examinations ignore assimilation of that evidence into everyday practice. Design A combined clinical and communication skills station was used in an objective structured clinical examination where the ability to appraise evidence critically was assessed along with the application of that evidence in managing a common clinical problem. Setting University of Liverpool. Subjects Undergraduate medical students. Results The results from 156 undergraduate medical students demonstrated that it is possible to assess the application of evidence in practice, both in terms of outcome and patient assessment of the encounter. Conclusions Assessment is a powerful tool in promoting learning and adoption of such assessment strategies may help to address concerns surrounding apparent poor effect of critical appraisal training.