title: Is the long case dead? 'Uh, I don't think so': the Uh/Um Index.
abstract: Current tools for clinical assessment are tedious and time-consuming, particularly the dreadful long case. There is a need for novel instruments that incorporate other aspects of competence. We propose such a method, namely the Uh/Um Index. Our innovation paper describes the rationale for using speech dysfluency and occurrences of filler words such as 'uh' and 'um' as a proxy for competence. This appears to have won initial support from senior clinicians in our institution. Additional research is needed (non-restricted grants are welcomed) to establish rigorous standard setting and to fund our attendance at overseas conferences to make the Uh/Um Index the new buzzword in medical education.
authors.affiliation: Medical Education Unit, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Robbert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Duvivier
authors.affiliation: Medical Education Unit, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.|Teaching & Research Unit, Gosford Hospital, Gosford, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Veysey
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D004501:Education, Medical; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D013060:Speech; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic