Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39523575›Full record

ArticleJournal of educational evaluation for health professions2024

Increased accessibility of computer-based testing for residency application to a hospital in Brazil with item characteristics comparable to paper-based testing: a psychometric study

Marcos Carvalho Borges, Luciane Loures Santos, Paulo Henrique Manso, Elaine Christine Dantas Moisés, Pedro Soler Coltro, Priscilla Costa Fonseca, Paulo Roberto Alves Gentil, Rodrigo de Carvalho Santana, Lucas Faria Rodrigues, Benedito Carlos Maciel and 1 more

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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of educational evaluation for health professions, 2024. 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

11 authors.

Marcos Carvalho BorgesRibeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Luciane Loures SantosRibeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Paulo Henrique MansoRibeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Elaine Christine Dantas MoisésRibeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Pedro Soler ColtroRibeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Priscilla Costa FonsecaeduCat, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Paulo Roberto Alves GentileduCat, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Rodrigo de Carvalho SantanaRibeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Lucas Faria RodriguesRibeirao Preto Clinical Hospital, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Benedito Carlos MacielRibeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Hilton Marcos Alves RiczRibeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeWith the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, online high-stakes exams have become a viable alternative. This study evaluated the feasibility of computer-based testing (CBT) for medical residency applications in Brazil and its impacts on item quality and applicants’ access compared to paper-based testing.

methodsIn 2020, an online CBT was conducted in a Ribeirao Preto Clinical Hospital in Brazil. In total, 120 multiple-choice question items were constructed. Two years later, the exam was performed as paper-based testing. Item construction processes were similar for both exams. Difficulty and discrimination indexes, point-biserial coefficient, difficulty, discrimination, guessing parameters, and Cronbach’s α coefficient were measured based on the item response and classical test theories. Internet stability for applicants was monitored.

resultsIn 2020, 4,846 individuals (57.1% female, mean age of 26.64±3.37 years) applied to the residency program, versus 2,196 individuals (55.2% female, mean age of 26.47±3.20 years) in 2022. For CBT, there was an increase of 2,650 applicants (120.7%), albeit with significant differences in demographic characteristics. There was a significant increase in applicants from more distant and lower-income Brazilian regions, such as the North (5.6% vs. 2.7%) and Northeast (16.9% vs. 9.0%). No significant differences were found in difficulty and discrimination indexes, point-biserial coefficients, and Cronbach’s α coefficients between the 2 exams.

conclusionOnline CBT with multiple-choice questions was a viable format for a residency application exam, improving accessibility without compromising exam integrity and quality.

Indexed as

COVID-19Educational MeasurementInternship and ResidencyPsychometricsAdultBrazilFemaleHumansInternetMaleSARS-CoV-2Surveys and QuestionnairesBrazilComputersCOVID-19Educational measurementFeasibility studiesInternship and residency

Identifiers

PMID39523575
PMCPMC11637595

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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.