A Study to Test a New Pelvic Examination Assessment Tool

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this study is to show that a new assessment tool for pelvic examination is valid and reliable.

Detailed Description
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Physical examination of the pelvis is an important core skill that medical students need to acquire. However, due to its intimate nature some students are graduating unable to perform competent pelvic examinations. At present, evaluation of the medical students competence at pelvic examination is done by subjective faculty assessment. This assessment is typically performed at the end of the teaching block and is based on the assessors' recollection of the students' performance. This kind of assessment has been shown to have poor validity and reliability. This is in contrast to objective structured assessments of technical skill (OSATS), which use task specific and global rating scales and have been used to evaluate a wide range of clinical and surgical skills. However, no studies to date have evaluated an assessment tool for pelvic examination. In this study the investigators aim to determine the validity and reliability of an OSATS for pelvic examination. In addition, the investigators aim to identify factors that influence the scores in OSATS.

Official Title
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A Study to Test the Validity and Reliability of an Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills in Pelvic Examination

Conditions
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Female Pelvic Examination

Intervention / Treatment
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* Procedure: Observed Structured Assessment Tool in Pelvic Examination


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Final year medical students starting their Obstetrics and Gynaecology placement Final year medical students finishing their Obstetrics and Gynaecology placement Pre Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology registered junior doctors doing a Obstetrics and Gynaecology placement. Signed Consent Form Exclusion Criteria: • None
Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Inexperienced students<br>Final year medical students at the end of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology placement | Procedure: Observed Structured Assessment Tool in Pelvic Examination<br>* Participants will be asked to perform a pelvic examination including a speculum and bimanual examination on a pelvic model. They will be asked to approach the pelvic model as if it were a real patient.<br>|
| Experienced students<br>Final year medical students at the end of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology placement | Procedure: Observed Structured Assessment Tool in Pelvic Examination<br>* Participants will be asked to perform a pelvic examination including a speculum and bimanual examination on a pelvic model. They will be asked to approach the pelvic model as if it were a real patient.<br>|
| Junior Doctors<br>Pre Royal College of Obstetric and Gynaecology registered junior doctors with experience in Obstetrics and Gynaecology | Procedure: Observed Structured Assessment Tool in Pelvic Examination<br>* Participants will be asked to perform a pelvic examination including a speculum and bimanual examination on a pelvic model. They will be asked to approach the pelvic model as if it were a real patient.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Validity of assessment tool | Both validity and reliability are of equal importance so there will be two primary outcomes. Validity will be tested using the proxy measure of construct validity. This will be demonstrated if the results of the OSATS reflect the participant experience. | Day 1 | 
| Reliability of assessment tool | Reliability will be measured using inter-rater reliability between 3 assessors who will be blinded to the other assessors' marks. | Day 1 | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Factors other than the stage in training that may influence proficiency in pelvic examination | We aim to identify other factors that may influence the participants' score in OSATS in pelvic examination. We will identify potential areas in a questionnaire administered to participant's prior the examination. This information will be collated before the examination in a participant information form. Information regarding gender, age, ethnicity, confidence in examination, interest in future career in obstetrics and gynaecology will be collected as secondary outcome measures. | Day 1 | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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OSAT, Pelvic Examination, Validation, Reliability