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Test Equating of the Medical Licensing Examination in 2003 and 2004 Based on the Item Response Theory.

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2006;3(1):2-.

The passing rate of the Medical Licensing Examination has been variable, which probably originated from the difference in the difficulty of items and/or difference in the ability level of examinees. We tried to explain the origin of the difference using the test equating method based on the item response theory. The number of items and examinees were 500, 3,647 in 2003 and 550, 3,879 in 2004. Common item nonequivalent group design was used for 30 common items. Item and ability parameters were calculated by three parametric logistic models using ICL. Scale transformation and true score equating were executed using ST and PIE. The mean of difficulty index of the year 2003 was -0.957 (SD 2.628) and that of 2004 after equating was -1.456 (SD 3.399). The mean of discrimination index of year 2003 was 0.487 (SD 0.242) and that of 2004 was 0.363 (SD 0.193). The mean of ability parameter of year 2003 was 0.00617 (SD 0.96605) and that of year 2004 was 0.94636 (SD 1.32960). The difference of the equated true score at the same ability level was high at the range of score of 200-350. The reason for the difference in passing rates over two consecutive years was due to the fact that the Examination in 2004 was easier and the abilities of the examinees in 2004 were higher. In addition, the passing rates of examinees with score of 270-294 in 2003, and those with 322-343 in 2004, were affected by the examination year.
Discrimination (Psychology) ; Education, Medical ; Licensure* ; Logistic Models

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To broaden the horizon of the Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.

Sun HUH

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2006;3(1):1-.

No abstract available.
Health Occupations*

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Assessment of structured physical examination skills training using a retro-pre-questionnaire.

Rano Mal PIRYANI ; P Ravi SHANKAR ; Suneel PIRYANI ; Trilok Pati THAPA ; Balmansingh KARKI ; Mahesh Prasad KHAKUREL ; Shital BHANDARY

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2013;10(1):13-.

PURPOSE: The effectiveness of physical examination skills (PES) training is very rarely assessed using the "post-then-pre" approach. In this study, a retro-pre-questionnaire was used to study the effect of structured physical examination skills training (SPEST) imparted to second-year undergraduate medical students. METHODS: KIST Medical College (KISTMC) affiliated to Tribhuvan University Nepal admitted its first batch of MBBS students in November 2008. The university curriculum recommends the involvement of Medicine and Surgery Departments in PES training, but the methods for teaching and assessment are not well defined. KISTMC has made training more structured and involved the Medicine, Surgery, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Orthopaedics, ENT, Ophthalmology, Paediatrics, and Family Medicine Departments. SPEST includes the teaching/learning of basic PES for 210 minutes once a week for 28 weeks. Self-assessment is done by using a retro-pre-questionnaire at the end of the last session of training, and these data are analysed using SPSS. RESULTS: Out of 100 students, 98 participated in the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE); 82 completed the retro-pre-questionnaire. Forty-six skills representing various systems were selected for inclusion in the retro-pre-questionnaire from among the many skills taught in different departments. The average perceived skills score (maximum score, 46x4=184) before training was 15.9 and increased to 116.5 after training. The increase was statistically significant upon the application of a paired t-test. CONCLUSION: The students perceived that their level of skills improved after the training. The retro-pre- instrument seems to be useful for assessing the learners' self-reported changes in PES after training if a large number of skills need to be assessed. However, it should be noted that although a retro-pre-questionnaire may reveal valuable information, it is not a substitute for an objective measure or gold standard.
Curriculum ; Humans ; Methods ; Nepal ; Obstetrics ; Ophthalmology ; Physical Examination* ; Self-Assessment ; Students, Medical

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The retrospective chart review: important methodological considerations.

Vassar MATT ; Holzmann MATTHEW

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2013;10(1):12-.

In this paper, we review and discuss ten common methodological mistakes found in retrospective chart reviews. The retrospective chart review is a widely applicable research methodology that can be used by healthcare disciplines as a means to direct subsequent prospective investigations. In many cases in this review, we have also provided suggestions or accessible resources that researchers can apply as a "best practices" guide when planning, conducting, or reviewing this investigative method.
Delivery of Health Care ; Medical Records ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Research Design ; Retrospective Studies*

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Indian medical students' perspectives on problem-based learning experiences in the undergraduate curriculum: One size does not fit all.

Bijli NANDA ; Shankarappa MANJUNATHA

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2013;10(1):11-.

PURPOSE: Problem-based learning (PBL) is a well-established method for facilitating the learning of basic science concepts in the context of clinical cases. Relevant evidence is lacking regarding PBL's effectiveness and acceptability as perceived by students accustomed to classical traditional teaching in India. Hence, this study gathered students' opinions on PBL versus Traditional teaching methods to generate a foundation for institutional policymaking and ultimately, changes in the policy of regulatory bodies. METHODS: A total of 773 first year medical students admitted from 2007-2010 in Kasturba Medical College Manipal, Manipal University, India were asked to respond to a 15-item questionnaire evaluating their preferences for PBL or traditional methods such as lectures after undergoing a systematically conducted PBL session in physiology. Their responses were analyzed with an unpaired t-test. Their comments were also collected. RESULTS: PBL scored significantly higher for most items in the questionnaire for "learning efficiency" and "student-teacher relationship". The students' comments highlighted the importance of a trained tutor/facilitator to enhance the learning process. CONCLUSION: Our students are willing to adapt to the PBL method, although they recognize certain benefits of traditional pedagogy. For learning efficiency and the student-teacher relationship, the students feel that neither method holds an advantage. We recommend that the future medical curriculum in India be a hybrid form of PBL and traditional methods with specific training on the unfamiliar PBL approach for both faculty and students.
Curriculum* ; Humans ; India ; Learning ; Lectures ; Methods ; Physiology ; Problem-Based Learning* ; Students, Medical ; Teaching ; Surveys and Questionnaires

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Is it time for integration of surgical skills simulation into the United Kingdom undergraduate medical curriculum? A perspective from King's College London School of Medicine.

Karim HAMAOUI ; Hazim SADIDEEN ; Munir SAADEDDIN ; Sarah ONIDA ; Andrew W HOEY ; John REES

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2013;10(1):10-.

PURPOSE: Changes in undergraduate medical curricula, combined with reforms in postgraduate education, have training implications for surgical skills acquisition in a climate of reduced clinical exposure. Confidence and prior experience influences the educational impact of learning. Currently there is no basic surgical skills (BSS) programme integrated into undergraduate curricula in the United Kingdom. We explored the role of a dedicated BSS programme for undergraduates in improving confidence and influencing careers in King's College London School of Medicine, and the programme was evaluated. METHODS: A programme was designed in-line with the established Royal College of Surgeons course. Undergraduates were taught four key skills over four weeks: knot-tying, basic-suturing, tying-at-depth and chest-drain insertion, using low-fidelity bench-top models. A Likert-style questionnaire was designed to determine educational value and influence on career choice. Qualitative data was collected. RESULTS: Only 29% and 42% of students had undertaken previous practice in knot-tying and basic suturing, respectively. 96% agreed that skills exposure prior to starting surgical rotations was essential and felt a dedicated course would augment undergraduate training. There was a significant increase in confidence in the practice and knowledge of all skills taught (p<0.01), with a greater motivation to be actively involved in the surgical firm and theatres. CONCLUSION: A simple, structured BSS programme can increase the confidence and motivation of students. Early surgical skills targeting is valuable for students entering surgical, related allied, and even traditionally non-surgical specialties such as general practice. Such experience can increase the confidence of future junior doctors and trainees. We advocate the introduction of a BSS programme into United Kingdom undergraduate curricula.
Career Choice ; Climate ; Curriculum* ; Education ; General Practice ; Great Britain* ; Humans ; Learning ; Motivation ; Surveys and Questionnaires

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Learning gain of pharmacy students after introducing guided inquiry learning with computer simulation in a pharmacology class in Fiji.

Christian C EZEALA ; Arnold A RAM ; Napolioni VULAKOUVAKI

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2013;10(1):9-.

PURPOSE: Active learning methods such as problem-based learning have been widely adopted in health professions education, although guided inquiry learning has been used only in limited settings. The objective of this study was to determine students' learning gain when guided inquiry learning was combined with computer simulation in a basic pharmacology course. METHODS: The second-year pharmacy students from Fiji National University participated in the study. Following classroom lectures on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, the students used tutor-prepared practice problems in groups of 3-4 to explore their concepts with Cyber Patient and Virtual Organ Bath software. Pre- and posttest assessments were administered to determine the learning gain from the exercises based on Hake's criteria. RESULTS: Forty-two students participated in the study. The average normalized learning gain from the pharmacokinetics exercises was 0.68. Thirty-seven participants (88.1%) achieved a significant learning gain, while 5 (11.90%) did not. The average normalized learning gain from the pharmacodynamics exercises was 0.76. Forty-one participants (97.6%) achieved a significant learning gain, while one participant (2.4%) did not. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated that use of guided inquiry learning with computer simulations could produce significant learning gains with improvement in students' understanding of basic pharmacology.
Baths ; Computer Simulation* ; Education ; Exercise ; Fiji* ; Health Occupations ; Humans ; Learning* ; Lectures ; Methods ; Pharmacokinetics ; Pharmacology* ; Pharmacy* ; Problem-Based Learning ; Students, Pharmacy*

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Students' perception of the learning environment at Xavier University School of Medicine, Aruba.

P Ravi SHANKAR ; Arun K DUBEY ; Ramanan BALASUBRAMANIUM

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2013;10(1):8-.

PURPOSE: The learning environment at Xavier University School of Medicine (XUSOM), Aruba has not been previously studied. Hence, the present study was carried out using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) to obtain student perceptions about the learning environment and compare the same among different subgroups of respondents. METHODS: The questionnaire was administered to undergraduate medical students in their first to fifth semester during the first two weeks of June 2013. The students' perceptions were evaluated by noting their degree of agreement with a set of 50 statements using a Likert-type scale. The mean overall score and the scores of subcategory were calculated and compared among different respondents (P<0.05). RESULTS: Seventy-three of the 86 students (84.9%) completed the questionnaire. The overall mean+/-SD score was 131.79+/-22.86 (maximum score 200). The mean+/-SD score for students' perception of teaching/learning was 31.99+/-6.23 (maximum score, 48), while the score for students' perceptions of teachers was 30.05+/-5.54 (maximum score, 44). The mean+/-SD scores for students' academic self-perception, students' perception of the atmosphere, and students' social self-perception were 21.88+/-5.11 (maximum score, 32), 30.92+/-8.59 (maximum score, 48), and 16.96+/-4.71 (maximum score, 28), respectively. There were no differences in scores according to the respondents' personal characteristics. CONCLUSION: The student responses about the learning environment at the institution were positive. We plan to obtain regular student feedback as the curriculum becomes progressively more student-centered and integrated.
Atmosphere ; Curriculum ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Education ; Humans ; Learning* ; Schools, Medical ; Self Concept ; Students, Medical ; Netherlands*

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Continuing medical education as a national strategy to improve access to primary care in Saudi Arabia.

Sami Ayed ALSHAMMARY ; Savithiri RATNAPALAN ; Zekeriya AKTURK

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2013;10(1):7-.

The purpose of this study was to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of an educational program in family medicine for general practitioners in Saudi Arabia from 2009 to 2011. A continuing medical education program called Family Medicine Education (FAME) was developed with 7 modules each consisting of 12-14 hours of teaching to be delivered in 3 day blocks, over 45 days. Twenty percent (2,761) of all general practitioners participated in the FAME program. Initial assessment of the program showed significant improvement of knowledge from scores of 49% on a pre-test to 89% on post-tests. FAME program in Saudi Arabia facilitated primary care physicians' knowledge.
Education ; Education, Medical, Continuing* ; General Practitioners ; Humans ; Primary Health Care* ; Saudi Arabia*

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Learning pathways during clinical placement of physiotherapy students: a Malaysian experience of using learning contracts and reflective diaries.

Ayiesah RAMLI ; Leonard JOSEPH ; Seow Woon LEE

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions.2013;10(1):6-.

PURPOSE: Learning contracts and reflective diaries are educational tools that have been recently introduced to physiotherapy students from Malaysia during clinical education. It is unclear how students perceive the experience of using a learning contract and reflective diary. This study explores the learning pathways of the students after using a learning contract and a reflective diary for the first time in their clinical placement. METHODS: A total of 26 final-year physiotherapy students completed a learning contract and a reflective diary during clinical placements. Two researchers explored the data qualitatively by the thematic content analysis method using NVivo. RESULTS: A total of four and six main learning themes were identified from the data of the students through a learning contract and reflective diary. CONCLUSION: These learning themes reflected the views of the students about what they have considered to be important learning pathways during their clinical placements. They give valuable insights into the experiences and opinions of students during their clinical education process, which should be useful for enhancing teaching and learning methods in physiotherapy education.
Education ; Humans ; Learning* ; Malaysia ; Methods

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