title: The reliability of a modified Kalamazoo Consensus Statement Checklist for assessing the communication skills of multidisciplinary clinicians in the simulated environment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  With increased recognition of the importance of sound communication skills and communication skills education, reliable assessment tools are essential. This study reports on the psychometric properties of an assessment tool based on the Kalamazoo Consensus Statement Essential Elements Communication Checklist.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form (GKCSAF), a modified version of an existing communication skills assessment tool, the Kalamazoo Essential Elements Communication Checklist-Adapted, was used to assess learners in a multidisciplinary, simulation-based communication skills educational program using multiple raters. 118 simulated conversations were available for analysis. Internal consistency and inter-rater reliability were determined by calculating a Cronbach's alpha score and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The GKCSAF demonstrated high internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha score of 0.844 (faculty raters) and 0.880 (peer observer raters), and high inter-rater reliability with an ICC of 0.830 (faculty raters) and 0.89 (peer observer raters).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form is a reliable method of assessing the communication skills of multidisciplinary learners using multi-rater methods within the learning environment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Skills Assessment Form can be used by educational programs that wish to implement a reliable assessment and feedback system for a variety of learners.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, USA. Electronic address: ebpete01@louisville.edu.
authors.forename: Eleanor B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, USA.
authors.forename: Aaron W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Calhoun
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA; Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Rider
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D057189:Checklist; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods; D005246:Feedback; D058025:Interdisciplinary Studies; D010348:Patient Care Team; D016544:Patient Simulation; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D003245:Consensus Statements as Topic
keywords: Assessment tools; Communication assessment; Communication competency; Communication education; Communication skills; Kalamazoo Consensus Statement; Simulation