title: Determining Component Weights in a Communications Assessment Using Judgmental Policy Capturing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tools are needed for determining appropriate weights for complex performance assessment components in medical education. The feasibility of using judgmental policy capturing (JPC), a procedure to statistically describe the information processing strategies of experts, for this purpose was investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Iterative JPC was used to determine appropriate weighting for the six core communication skill scores from a communications objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) for medical students using a panel of four communication skill experts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean regression weights from the panel indicated they placed less importance on information management (8.5%), moderate and nearly equal importance on rapport building (15.8%), agenda setting (15.4%), and addressing feelings (14.1%), and greater importance on active listening (20.1%) and reaching common ground with the patient (25.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  JPC is an effective procedure for determining appropriate weights for complex clinical assessment components. The derived weights may be very different for those assessment components.
authors.affiliation: a Departments of Medical Education and Family Medicine James H. Quillen College of Medicine East Tennessee State University.
authors.forename: Leo M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Harvill
authors.affiliation: a Departments of Medical Education and Family Medicine James H. Quillen College of Medicine East Tennessee State University.
authors.forename: F Forrest
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: Ronald S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: McCord
keywords: component weighting; judgmental policy capturing; objective structured clinical examination; physician-patient communication