Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35509352›Full record

ArticleAdvances in medical education and practice2022

Evaluation of the Utility of Online Objective Structured Clinical Examination Conducted During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Mona Arekat, Mohamed Hany Shehata, Abdelhalim Deifalla, Ahmed Al-Ansari, Archana Kumar, Mohamed Alsenbesy, Hamdi Alshenawi, Amgad El-Agroudy, Mariwan Husni, Diaa Rizk and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Advances in medical education and practice, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. 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

13 authors.

Mona ArekatInternal Medicine Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.
Mohamed Hany ShehataFamily and Community Medicine Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.ORCID 0000-0002-9156-931X
Abdelhalim DeifallaAnatomy Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.ORCID 0000-0002-0733-4631
Ahmed Al-AnsariMedical Education Unit, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.ORCID 0000-0001-7229-2960
Archana KumarMedical Education Unit, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
Mohamed AlsenbesyInternal Medicine Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.ORCID 0000-0003-4689-8111
Hamdi AlshenawiSurgery Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.ORCID 0000-0002-3546-9197
Amgad El-AgroudyInternal Medicine Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.
Mariwan HusniPsychiatry Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
Diaa RizkObstetrics and Gynecology Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.ORCID 0000-0002-9414-7059
Abdelaziz ElaminPediatrics Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
Afif Ben SalahFamily and Community Medicine Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.
Hani AtwaMedical Education Unit, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.ORCID 0000-0002-0099-4100

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: 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.

Indexed as

COVID-19exam utilityonline clinical assessmentOSCE

Identifiers

PMID35509352
PMCPMC9060808

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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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.