[Mini clinical evaluation exercise as evaluation tool of communicative and cooperative skills in the outpatient clinic].
BACKGROUND
In the revised Danish medical specialist training increased focus has been placed on competences which are hard to evaluate such as communication skills. Mini-CEX seems promising as an evaluation tool. Our aim was to test: 1) whether mini-CEX was useable in the evaluation of communicative and cooperative skills and 2) whether mini-CEX would provide reproducible data.


METHODS
Twenty-one residents were evaluated by mini-CEX by trained observers. Seventeen residents had at least two observations within a short period of time and these data were used to estimate the mini-CEX reproducibility. In addition to the residents, the nurses who assisted them in the outpatient clinic answered a questionnaire regarding the mini-CEX satisfaction.


RESULTS
Observations had a median duration of 20 minutes (10-60 minutes) and the overall median duration of feedback was 15 minutes (5-60 minutes). Time used for feedback was halved from the first to the following feedback sessions. No significant clinical differences were observed between the scorings performed by the residents themselves and the observers, or the nurses of the outpatient clinic and the observers. In general, the residents were satisfied with the mini-CEX evaluations.


CONCLUSIONS
The mini-CEX is a promising tool for the evaluation of communicative and cooperative skills.
Eriksen
Jesper Grau
JG
Odense Universitetshospital, Onkologisk Afdeling R, DK-5000 Odense C. jesper@oncology.dk
Simonsen
Dorit
D
Bastholt
Lars
L
Aspegren
Knut
K
Vinther
Claus
C
Kruse
Kirsten
K
Kodal
Troels
T
D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D016522:Oncology Service, Hospital; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires