Formative Assessment of Diagnostic Testing in Family Medicine with Comprehensive MCQ Followed by Certainty-Based Mark.
Résumé
Introduction: The choice of diagnostic tests in front of a given clinical case is a major
part of medical reasoning. Failure to prescribe the right test can lead to serious diagnostic errors.
Furthermore, unnecessary medical tests are a waste of money and could possibly generate injuries to
patients, especially in family medicine. Methods: In an effort to improve the training of our students
to the choice of laboratory and imaging studies, we implemented a specific multiple-choice questions
(MCQ), called comprehensive MCQ (cMCQ), with a fixed and high number of options matching
various basic medical tests, followed by a certainty-based mark (CBM). This tool was used in the
assessment of diagnostic test choice in various clinical cases of general practice in 456 sixth-year
medical students. Results: The scores were significantly correlated with the traditional exams
(standard MCQ), with matched themes. The proportion of “cMCQ/CBM score” variance explained by
“standard MCQ score” was 21.3%. The cMCQ placed students in a situation closer to practice reality
than standard MCQ. In addition to its usefulness as an assessment tool, those tests had a formative
value and allowed students to work on their ability to measure their doubt/certainty in order to
develop a reflexive approach, required for their future professional practice. Conclusion: cMCQ
followed by CBM is a feasible and reliable evaluation method for the assessment of diagnostic testing.
Domaines
Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]Origine | Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte |
---|