An independent appraisal of an electronic OSCE management software system in a Psychiatry examination

Abstract

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. BackgroundThe Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) is a method of assessment in psychiatry but is high in expenditure, requiring large amounts of staff time and an extensive paper trail. The Online Management Information System (OMIS) for OSCEs is a software system that proposes to reduce these drawbacks.AimsThe aim of this study was to independently evaluate the use of OMIS through feedback from all key stakeholders involved in developing, administering and implementing an OSCE in a medical school. MethodThe independent appraisal of the system was done by an anonymous survey of four major participants in an OSCE; examiners, students, the academic team in charge of preparing and implementing the OSCE and an independent Information Technology (IT) team from the university who appraised the software. ResultsFeedback from examiners, academic team and IT experts was positive indicating a preference for OMIS over the typical paper format. Students mostly indicated a neutral response stating that OMIS had neither a positive nor negative effect on them during the exam. A few participants expressed concerns over data security, difficulty with some software features and the system not being optimised for hand-held devices. ConclusionIn general, OMIS is presents as a promising tool to enhance the implementation and delivery of an OSCE exam over the typical paper format of the exam.