[The script concordance test: a new evaluation method of both clinical reasoning and skills in internal medicine].
OBJECTIVE
The script concordance test is designed to evaluate knowledge organization, which constitutes a crucial parameter of clinical skills. The objective of the present study was to assess the value of a new written evaluation tool to measure clinical skills in Internal Medicine.


METHODS
A 95-item examination was completed by a group of medical students (N =17), a group of residents in Family practice (N =9), a group of residents in Internal Medicine (N =5), and a group of experienced physicians in Internal Medicine (N =7). The scores obtained were compared by analysis of variance. The reliability of the test was studied by calculating Cronbach's coefficient alpha.


RESULTS
The mean score was 220.3 +/-41.7 for medical students, 230.5 +/-31.7 for residents in Family practice, 274.2 +/-32.2 for residents in Internal Medicine, and 352.1 +/-22.9 for experienced physicians in Internal Medicine. The differences observed between the scores for the various groups were significant (P <0.0001). Moreover, the value of Cronbach's coefficient alpha was 0.81 in the whole examination.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data indicate that the script concordance test may easily allow to differentiate various levels of clinical skills in Internal Medicine. Moreover, because of Cronbach's coefficient alpha as high as 0.81, our findings suggest the validity of this test in Internal Medicine.
Marie
I
I
Unité Inserm 644, faculté de médecine de Rouen, 76183 Rouen cedex, France. isabelle.marie@chu-rouen.fr
Sibert
L
L
Roussel
F
F
Hellot
M-F
MF
Lechevallier
J
J
Weber
J
J
D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education*; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires