The Mini-CEX as a Formative Assessment Instrument to Visualise Learning Improvements and Needs of Undergraduate Dental Students
Objectives: To compare the clinical examination skills that needed improvement between year-4 and year-5 undergraduate dental students, through the use of a modified Mini-CEX form as a formative assessment instrument. Methods: At the beginning of the 2017 academic year the Mini-CEX was implemented as a formative assessment instrument for all 81 year-4 (Y4) and 63 year-5 (Y5) students working at the paediatric and adult dental clinics. Every new patient attending these clinics was evaluated by a Y4 or Y5 student following a standardise protocol, and assessed by an observing faculty using a modified 14-item Mini-CEX paper form, previously agreed in a Delphi panel of experts and piloted in 2016. At the end of the first semester, all Mini-CEX forms were counted and descriptively analysed. Those forms that were assessed as “below expectation” and “borderline” for Y4 and Y5 students were statistically compared. In addition, free text from all Mini-CEX student-faculty “agreed challenges” were grouped into themes and compered. Results: A total of 1.252 Mini-CEX forms were collected (average of 8.7 forms per student). There was a significant lower percentage of students “below expectation” and “borderline” in Y5 compared to Y4, both in the paediatric and adult clinics (p>0.001); though the number of students who needed to improve was bigger in Y4 paediatric clinic. The clinical skills with the highest numbers of students as below expectation + borderline were “intra- and extra-oral examination”, “basic knowledge and diagnostic skills” and “treatment and prognosis plan congruent with the diagnosis” (Table 1). On the contrary, the best-assessed skills in both cohorts were “caring behaviour”, “communicating and listening”, “clean and tidy dress” and “biosecurity measures”. The most recurrent themes from the agreed challenges in both clinical years were regarding the sequence of diagnosis, prognosis rationale and multidisciplinary view. Conclusions: The use of the Mini-CEX as a formative assessment instrument contributed to better focus the clinical undergraduate training on clinical examination skills with a multidisciplinary approach in order to improve the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of paediatric and adult patients.
Division: IADR/PER General Session
Meeting:2018 IADR/PER General Session (London, England) Location: London, England
Year: 2018 Final Presentation ID:1759 Abstract Category|Abstract Category(s):Education Research
Authors
Tricio, Jorge
( University of the Andes
, Santiago
, Chile
)
Salles, Pablo
( University of the Andes
, Santiago
, Chile
)
Orsini, César
( University of the Andes
, Santiago
, Chile
)
Tapia, Rebeca
( University of the Andes
, Santiago
, Chile
)
Georgudis, Gianitsa
( University of the Andes
, Santiago
, Chile
)
Morales, Rolando
( University of the Andes
, Santiago
, Chile
)
Cacciuttolo, Franco
( University of the Andes
, Santiago
, Chile
)
Recabarren, Rodrigo
( University of the Andes
, Santiago
, Chile
)
Support Funding Agency/Grant Number: Fondecyt #11150123
Financial Interest Disclosure: NONE
SESSION INFORMATION
Oral Session
Teaching, Learning & Assessment in Education Research
Friday,
07/27/2018
, 08:00AM - 09:30AM
TABLES
Table 1. Mini-CEX items and percentage of students Below Expectation plus Borderline in Year-4 and Year-5 paediatric and adult clinics (number of students – number of Mini-CEX forms).
Item
Below expectation +Borderline for Y4 completion (81-146) Paediatric Clinic
Below expectation +Borderline for Y5 completion (63-272) Paediatric Clinic
Below expectation +Borderline for Y4 completion (81-487) Adult Clinic
Below expectation +Borderline for Y5 completion (63-347) Adult Clinic
Shows ability to interview and take a complete patient history
2%
5%
5%
2%
Performs an appropriate and thorough clinical intra- and extra-oral examination
15%
7%
7%
4%
Demonstrates basic knowledge and diagnostic skills
16%
6%
8%
6%
Demonstrates adequate clinical judgment and decision making
12%
3%
6%
4%
Presents a complete treatment and prognosis plan congruent with the diagnosis
18%
4%
6%
4%
Shows a caring and respectful behaviour with patient / classmates / staff
1%
0.3%
2%
1%
Communicates and listens effectively using appropriate language
2%
0.3%
3%
1%
Organises, plans, manages time and works efficiently
6%
2%
6%
1%
Properly manages all the stages and established sequences
2%
0.7%
4%
2%
Wears a clean and tidy clinical uniform
1%
0.7%
2%
0.2%
Permanently respects the distribution of working areas
2%
0%
3%
0.2%
Acts according to the established biosecurity measures
1%
0%
3%
0.6%
Overall clinical competence
6%
1%
3%
2%
Insight into performance - Recognises strengths, weaknesses and deficiencies?