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A Study to Test a New Pelvic Examination Assessment Tool

Completed
Conditions
Female Pelvic Examination
Interventions
Procedure: Observed Structured Assessment Tool in Pelvic Examination
Registration Number
NCT01725581
Lead Sponsor
Birmingham Women's NHS Foundation Trust
Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to show that a new assessment tool for pelvic examination is valid and reliable.

Detailed Description

Physical examination of the pelvis is an important core skill that medical students need to acquire. However, due to its intimate nature some students are graduating unable to perform competent pelvic examinations. At present, evaluation of the medical students competence at pelvic examination is done by subjective faculty assessment. This assessment is typically performed at the end of the teaching block and is based on the assessors' recollection of the students' performance. This kind of assessment has been shown to have poor validity and reliability. This is in contrast to objective structured assessments of technical skill (OSATS), which use task specific and global rating scales and have been used to evaluate a wide range of clinical and surgical skills. However, no studies to date have evaluated an assessment tool for pelvic examination. In this study the investigators aim to determine the validity and reliability of an OSATS for pelvic examination. In addition, the investigators aim to identify factors that influence the scores in OSATS.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
60
Inclusion Criteria
  • Final year medical students starting their Obstetrics and Gynaecology placement
  • Final year medical students finishing their Obstetrics and Gynaecology placement
  • Pre Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology registered junior doctors doing a Obstetrics and Gynaecology placement.
  • Signed Consent Form
Exclusion Criteria

• None

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Inexperienced studentsObserved Structured Assessment Tool in Pelvic ExaminationFinal year medical students at the end of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology placement
Experienced studentsObserved Structured Assessment Tool in Pelvic ExaminationFinal year medical students at the end of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology placement
Junior DoctorsObserved Structured Assessment Tool in Pelvic ExaminationPre Royal College of Obstetric and Gynaecology registered junior doctors with experience in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Validity of assessment toolDay 1

Both validity and reliability are of equal importance so there will be two primary outcomes. Validity will be tested using the proxy measure of construct validity. This will be demonstrated if the results of the OSATS reflect the participant experience.

Reliability of assessment toolDay 1

Reliability will be measured using inter-rater reliability between 3 assessors who will be blinded to the other assessors' marks.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Factors other than the stage in training that may influence proficiency in pelvic examinationDay 1

We aim to identify other factors that may influence the participants' score in OSATS in pelvic examination. We will identify potential areas in a questionnaire administered to participant's prior the examination. This information will be collated before the examination in a participant information form. Information regarding gender, age, ethnicity, confidence in examination, interest in future career in obstetrics and gynaecology will be collected as secondary outcome measures.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Birmingham Womens Hospital

🇬🇧

Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom

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