Design and Validation of an integrated Objective Structured Clinical Examination (i-OSCE) for a non-surgical aesthetics postgraduate program.

Abstract

Introduction: The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a popular and practical method for evaluating future clinicians’ competence and suitability for independent clinical practice. The present study aimed to develop and validate an integrated objective structured clinical examination to assess aesthetic physicians’ critical thinking and clinical competency. Methods: Initially, an expert panel consisting of five Aesthetic Practitioners with over 15 years of experience and a senior clinical academic were invited to develop a blueprint for the integrated objective structured clinical examination. Through this blueprint, the essential qualities and skills were identified for assessment. In addition, training workshops for examiners and simulated patients were organized to ensure process standardization. The final integrated objective structured clinical examination consisted of 12 stations (four clinical, four critical thinking, and four rest stations lasting 180 min). Results: The Interclass correlation coefficient between the station checklist items was 0.946 (average upper bound 0.916, lower bound 0.968; p<0.00), which was considered significant. The Inter-Item Correlation Matrix among the clinical station and critical thinking checklist items also showed statistical significance. The Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) was used to ascertain the correlation between the checklist and global ratings, yielding a high correlation (0.80 0.934). Conclusion: The integrated objective structured clinical examination is a valuable and reliable tool for assessing trainees’ aesthetic physicians’ clinical competence and critical thinking.