Advances in Medical Education and Practice (Apr 2022)
Evaluation of the Utility of Online Objective Structured Clinical Examination Conducted During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Abstract
Mona Arekat,1 Mohamed Hany Shehata,2,3 Abdelhalim Deifalla,4,5 Ahmed Al-Ansari,6 Archana Kumar,6 Mohamed Alsenbesy,1,7 Hamdi Alshenawi,8 Amgad El-Agroudy,1 Mariwan Husni,9,10 Diaa Rizk,11 Abdelaziz Elamin,12 Afif Ben Salah,2 Hani Atwa6,13 1Internal Medicine Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain; 2Family and Community Medicine Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain; 3Family Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt; 4Anatomy Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain; 5Human Anatomy and Embryology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt; 6Medical Education Unit, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain; 7Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt; 8Surgery Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain; 9Psychiatry Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain; 10Psychiatry Department, Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), Ontario, Canada; 11Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain; 12Pediatrics Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain; 13Medical Education Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, EgyptCorrespondence: Mohamed Hany Shehata, Family and Community Medicine Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain, Tel +97333918183, Email [email protected]: The COVID-19 pandemic led to profound restrictions on the face-to-face learning and assessment in all educational institutions, particularly the medical schools. The College of Medicine and Medical Sciences of the Arabian Gulf University (CMMS-AGU) conducted the final exams, both theoretical and clinical components, for its MD students online. This study was conducted to evaluate the utility of online clinical exams held at CMMS-AGU.Methods: This is a cross-sectional, mixed method study that included samples from final year medical students, examiners, and heads of clinical departments. Data were collected through surveys, structured interviews, documents’ review, and calculation of online examination’s psychometrics. Descriptive statistics were used. Quantitative data were presented in the form of means and standard deviations. Responses of heads of clinical departments in the structured interview were transcribed and analyzed thematically based on three pre-established themes.Results: Quantitative and qualitative data on the utility (validity, reliability, acceptability, educational impact, and cost and feasibility) of online objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) were collected. Content validity of the online clinical examination was established through high mean scores of content representativeness, which was confirmed by the heads of clinical departments regarding the proper coverage of clinical skills. Criterion validity was established through a high correlation between clinical and theoretical exam results (r = 0.75). Reliability of the exam was established through an acceptable Cronbach’s alpha value (0.70 to 0.78) over the four days of the examinations. The examinations were perceived as highly acceptable by both students and examiners. High educational impact was inferred from students’ responses and review of documents. The examination was found to be feasible and of reasonable cost.Conclusion: Online OSCE might be a good alternative of conventional clinical assessments in times of crises and impossibility of having in-person contact between students, examiners, and patients. An important major drawback is still present in such initiatives, which is the inability to assess students’ physical examination skills.Keywords: online clinical assessment, exam utility, OSCE, COVID-19
