title: The Rapid Assessment of Competency in Echocardiography Scale: Validation of a Tool for Point-of-Care Ultrasound.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Increased use of point-of-care ultrasound (US) requires the development of assessment tools that measure the competency of learners. In this study, we developed and tested a tool to assess the quality of point-of-care cardiac US studies performed by novices.
  
  
  METHODS
  In phase 1, the Rapid Assessment of Competency in Echocardiography (RACE) scale was developed on the basis of structured interviews with subject matter experts; the tool was then piloted on a small series of US studies in phase 2. In phase 3, the tool was applied to a sample of 154 point-of-care US studies performed by 12 learners; each study was independently rated by 2 experts, with quantitative analysis subsequently performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Evidence of the content validity of the RACE scale was supported by a consensus exercise, wherein experts agreed on the assessment dimensions and specific items that made up the RACE scale. The tool showed good inter-rater reliability. An analysis of inter-item correlations provided support for the internal structure of the scale, and the tool was able to discriminate between learners early in their point-of-care US learning and those who were more advanced in their training.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The RACE scale provides a straightforward means to assess learner performance with minimal requirements for evaluator training. Our results support the conclusion that the tool is an effective means of making valid judgments regarding competency in point-of-care cardiac US.
authors.affiliation: Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada smillington@toh.ca.
authors.forename: Scott J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Millington
authors.affiliation: Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Arntfield
authors.affiliation: Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hewak
authors.affiliation: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Chicago, Illinois USA.
authors.forename: Stanley J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hamstra
authors.affiliation: Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Yanick
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Beaulieu
authors.affiliation: University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hibbert
authors.affiliation: Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Hempstead, New York USA.
authors.forename: Seth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin USA.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kory
authors.affiliation: Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, Hempstead, New York USA.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mayo
authors.affiliation: Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Jordan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Schoenherr
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014465:Ultrasonics / Q000193:education*
keywords: assessment tool; echocardiography; medical education; point-of-care ultrasound