ArticleIrish journal of medical science2025
A comparison of objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) for medical students, modified during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article in Irish journal of medical science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND
aimsObjective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are an integral part of medical education assessment. The advanced clinical skills (ACS) OSCE examines clinical skills in psychiatry, general practice, obstetrics and gynaecology and paediatrics for fourth-year medical students at the University of Galway. This study compares results between the 2019 OSCE, and two subsequent OSCEs (2020 and 2021) modified to varying degrees secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic. We also examined student's satisfaction and perspectives regarding both modified OSCEs. MATERIALS AND
methodsAnonymised results between the 2019 (128 min), 2020 (56 min) and 2021 (96 min) ACS OSCEs were compared, and student feedback pertaining to the 2020 and 2021 OSCEs was analysed.
resultsA higher total mean mark OSCE result was achieved at the 2020 OSCE (62.95%) compared to the 2019 (59.35%) and 2021 (58.89%) OSCEs (F = 31.83, p < 0.001), with significantly more first-class honours marks attained in 2020 (11.5%) compared to 2019 and 2021 (both 1%) (p < 0.001). Measures of reliability were consistent across all years. A majority of students in both 2020 and 2021 reported the OSCE to be safe, well-coordinated, and fair, but similar numbers of students from both 2020 and 2021 expressed concern that face masks impeded their communication skills.
conclusionThis study demonstrates the feasibility of conducting a modified reliable OSCE during a pandemic. Conducting a 96-min OSCE demonstrated similar results to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic 128-min OSCE, in contrast to a 56-min OSCE where potentially inflated marks were attained.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.