Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27400783›Full record

ArticleBMC medical education2016

Evaluation of two selection tests for recruitment into radiology specialty training.

Fiona Patterson, Alec Knight, Liam McKnight, Thomas C Booth

Abstract readEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical education, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Fiona PattersonDepartment of Psychology, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3 EB, UK.
Alec KnightWork Psychology Group, 27 Brunel Parkway, Pride Park, Derbyshire, DE24 8HR, UK.
Liam McKnightDepartment of Radiology, Morriston Hospital, Swansea, West Glamorgan, SA6 6NL, UK.
Thomas C BoothDepartment of Neuroradiology, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, SE5 9RS, UK. tombooth@doctors.org.uk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis study evaluated whether two selection tests previously validated for primary care General Practice (GP) trainee selection could provide a valid shortlisting selection method for entry into specialty training for the secondary care specialty of radiology.

methodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of data from radiology applicants who also applied to UK GP specialty training or Core Medical Training. The psychometric properties of the two selection tests, a clinical problem solving (CPS) test and situational judgement test (SJT), were analysed to evaluate their reliability. Predictive validity of the tests was analysed by comparing them with the current radiology selection assessments, and the licensure examination results taken after the first stage of training (Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists (FRCR) Part 1).

resultsThe internal reliability of the two selection tests in the radiology applicant sample was good (α ≥ 0.80). The average correlation with radiology shortlisting selection scores was r = 0.26 for the CPS (with p < 0.05 in 5 of 11 shortlisting centres), r = 0.15 for the SJT (with p < 0.05 in 2 of 11 shortlisting centres) and r = 0.25 (with p < 0.05 in 5 of 11 shortlisting centres) for the two tests combined. The CPS test scores significantly correlated with performance in both components of the FRCR Part 1 examinations (r = 0.5 anatomy; r = 0.4 physics; p < 0.05 for both). The SJT did not correlate with either component of the examination.

conclusionsThe current CPS test may be an appropriate selection method for shortlisting in radiology but would benefit from further refinement for use in radiology to ensure that the test specification is relevant. The evidence on whether the SJT may be appropriate for shortlisting in radiology is limited. However, these results may be expected to some extent since the SJT is designed to measure non-academic attributes. Further validation work (e.g. with non-academic outcome variables) is required to evaluate whether an SJT will add value in recruitment for radiology specialty training and will further inform construct validity of SJTs as a selection methodology.

Indexed as

Education, Medical, GraduateSpecializationAdultClinical CompetenceEducational MeasurementFemaleGeneral PracticeHumansMalePersonnel SelectionRadiologyReproducibility of ResultsRetrospective StudiesUnited KingdomRadiologyRecruitmentSecondary careSelectingSelectionShortlistShortlistingSpecialty training

Identifiers

PMID27400783
PMCPMC4940701

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.