Using standardized patients' marks in scoring postgraduate psychiatry OSCEs.
OBJECTIVE
Standardized patients (SPs) do not contribute scores in postgraduate psychiatry objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) in the United Kingdom. However, this may change in the near future. The primary aim of this study was to measure the degree of agreement between scores given by examiners and those given by SPs in an OSCE.


METHODS
The authors measured the degree of agreement in two consecutive postgraduate OSCEs for psychiatric residents on a London training scheme.


RESULTS
Fifty-five candidates participated in the two OSCEs. There was a moderate degree of agreement between examiner and SP scores for communication and for the overall mark. However, there was a stronger relationship between the examiner score for communication and the candidates' overall mark.


CONCLUSIONS
Examiners and SPs scored candidates differently. Therefore, the decision to include SP scores in the marking scheme for postgraduate OSCEs would be a significant development.
Whelan
Paul
P
Old Age Psychiatry, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, Guy's Hospital, Weston Street, London, UK. paul.whelan@nhs.net
Church
Laurence
L
Kadry
Khaled
K
D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods*; D012015:Reference Standards