Performance of Nursing Students in Psychiatric Nursing using Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) Versus Traditional Practical Examination (TPE)-A Comparative Approach

Abstract

Determination of the quality of evaluation is an ongoing challenge to all educators. Selection of appropriate evaluation methods can enhance learning ability among nursing students and their performance in clinical tasks. The OSCE is a method of clinical evaluation which is highly comprehensive, systematic and objective and provides a uniform basis for evaluation of students. The present study was carried out to compare the nursing students’ performance between Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and Traditional Practical Examination (TPE) in psychiatric nursing at Apollo College of Nursing, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, South India. Approval of the study was obtained from the Institutional review board, and Principal of Apollo College Nursing. Permission was obtained from the concerned authorities of the Psychiatric Hospital. Setting was selected through purposive sampling technique. The research design used for the study was randomized cross over research design with two groups. The study was conducted among 84 (42 students in each group) III year B. Sc. Nursing students, were selected using the consecutive sampling technique. The study subjects were randomly allocated to two groups (Group I and Group II) and then sequentially received two phases of intervention of OSCE and TPE or vice versa. Seventeen stations (including one rest station) OSCE and TPE were conducted in the private psychiatric hospital (100 marks each) with one-month washout period between these Examinations. Tools used in the study include baseline characteristics of the students, OSCE and TPE evaluation formats which were developed by the researcher. The collected data were organized, tabulated and statistically analyzed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics by SPSS software statistical computer package version 16. Study findings revealed that, students’ performance scores were higher in OSCE while comparing to TPE within and between the groups (P<0.001). Hence it is recommended that, OSCE can be effectively used as a part of formative and summative evaluation in Psychiatric Nursing.