MedEdPORTAL (Jul 2014)
Critical Synthesis Package: Objective Structured Video Examination
Abstract
Abstract This Critical Synthesis Package contains: (1) a Critical Analysis of the psychometric properties and application to health sciences education for the Objective Structured Video Exam (OSVE), and (2) a copy of the OSVE administration and scoring guide developed by Gerald Michael Humphris. The OSVE is a video-based, written test devised to assess knowledge and understanding of communication, relative to a communication curriculum for undergraduate medical students at Liverpool University. The examination tests medical students' knowledge of physician-patient communication principles as prompted by video vignettes of physician-patient encounters. Vignettes are mapped to include 10 key communication skills taught in the curriculum. The examination has three tasks of increasing complexity: (1) identifying specific communication skills (knowledge), (2) explaining the consequences of specific skills (comprehension), and (3) suggesting specific alternate skills that may lead to improved communication outcomes (evaluation). Responses are recorded on a structured answer sheet. Up to 16 responses each are allowed for tasks one and two, while up to six responses are allowed for task three. Students may earn a maximum total score of 50 points: sixteen points each for tasks one and two and eighteen points for task three. Administration of the OSVE requires sixty minutes for a large group of students concurrently taking the examination. The OSVE may be used for formative, summative, and remediating evaluations. The OSVE is designed to be used in conjunction with a four-station OSCE measuring the behavioral skills of communication to yield a comprehensive picture of both knowledge and skill of communication techniques. In the years since its inception, multiple researchers have used the OSVE with modifications to the structure of the examination, the format of the response sheet, and the response key. While the scores obtained are consistently lower than those obtained on an OSCE, there does appear to be good test-retest reliability and well as IRR demonstrating validity across institutions and education levels.
Keywords
