Assessing the impact of modifications to the documentation component's scoring rubric and rater training on USMLE integrated clinical encounter scores.

Background: Documentation is a subcomponent of the Step 2 Clinical Skills Examination Integrated Clinical Encounter (ICE) component wherein licensed physicians rate examinees on their ability to communicate the findings of the patient encounter, diagnostic impression, and initial patient work-up. The main purpose of this research was to examine the impact of modifications to the scoring rubric and rater training protocol on the psychometric characteristics of the documentation scores.

Method: Following the modifications, the variance structure of the ICE components was modeled using multivariate generalizability theory.

The generalizability of documentation scores from the USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills examination.

Background: This research examined various sources of measurement error in the documentation score component of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 2 Clinical Skills examination.

Method: A generalizability theory framework was employed to examine the documentation ratings for 847 examinees who completed the USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills examination during an eight-day period in 2006. Each patient note was scored by two different raters allowing for a persons-crossed-with-raters-nested-in-cases design.

Does composition medium affect the psychometric properties of scores on an exercise designed to assess written medical communication skills?

The ECFMG Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) was developed to evaluate whether graduates of international medical schools are ready to enter graduate training programs in the United States. The performance-based patient note exercise is specifically used to assess an examinee's ability to summarize, synthesize and interpret the data collected in a patient interview. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether choice of composition method (typing or writing) affected the psychometric properties of the scores.

Assessing the written communication skills of medical school graduates.

The ECFMG Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) was developed to evaluate whether graduates of international medical schools (IMGs) are ready to enter graduate training programs in the United States. The patient note (PN) exercise, conducted after a 15-minute interview with a standardized patient (SP), is specifically used to assess a candidate's ability to summarize and synthesize the data collected. On a yearly basis, approximately 75,000 patient notes are reviewed and scored by physician raters.