Clinical Assessment Form Research Articles

The direct clinical examination: an alternative method for the assessment of clinical psychiatry skills in undergraduate medical students

Because of dissatisfaction with the traditional long case procedure as a method of examining the clinical competence of medical students undertaking a psychiatry term, an alternative 'direct' method whereby two examiners observe the interaction between student and patient has been developed and is described. This method of examining allows the examiners to set and evaluate case-specific tasks. It is demonstrated that the two examiners achieve satisfactory interrater reliability both with respect to the mark awarded and the difficulty the patient presents and that, as one would wish, these two measures do not correlate. Students' opinions regarding the examination were assessed pre- and post-examination using visual analogue scales. The students found the examination stressful but rated the method as an appropriate form of clinical assessment both before and after their examination. The method is seen as having several advantages which must be set against the disadvantage of its being relatively expensive of examiners' time.

Evaluation of a Physician Education Intervention to Improve Primary Care for Low-Back Pain I

In an effort to improve the cost-effectiveness of primary care for low-back pain, we developed, implemented, and evaluated a physician education intervention. The program was designed to provide family physicians with specific information, tools, and techniques that our previous studies and the literature suggested should be associated with more satisfying and cost-effective care for low-back pain. The in-clinic educational intervention included feedback of the findings of our previous studies of care for back pain (comparing family physicians and chiropractors), an up-to-date summary of scientific knowledge relevant to the management of back pain in primary care, a videotape contrasting ineffective and effective patient encounters, and a clinical assessment form for low-back pain. The back pain-related beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of 15 primary care providers in a large health maintenance organization clinic and of 14 family physicians in six group practices were assessed before and after the intervention. Significant increases were noted in the proportions of providers who felt confident they knew how to manage low-back pain, who believed their patients were satisfied, and who claimed they reassured patients that they did not have serious disease. The intervention, however, had little impact on the prevalence of negative feelings about patients with back pain or frustration with patients who wanted their doctor to "fix" their problem. The intervention had a similar impact on health maintenance organization and fee-for-service physicians.

Nursing Students' Perceptions of Anxiety-Producing Situations in the Clinical Setting

Aspects of nursing students' clinical experiences are anxiety provoking. High anxiety may contribute to decreased learning. The purpose of this study was to identify potentially anxiety-producing clinical experiences for student nurses. Thirty-nine junior and 53 senior nursing students from a BS degree program completed the "Clinical Experience Assessment Form," a 16-item Likert scale. The items included communication and procedural aspects of patient care, interpersonal relationships with healthcare providers, and interactions with faculty. An open-ended question asked students to identify the most anxiety-producing aspects of their clinical practice. The students expressed the highest anxiety for the initial clinical experience on a unit and the fear of making mistakes. Faculty evaluation and observation were also anxiety-producing. The results of the student t-test indicated that juniors were significantly higher in their expression of anxiety was that students's anxiety was increased in the clinical setting by their perceptions of nonsupportive faculty.

Evaluating clinical teaching in the medicine clerkship: relationship of instructor experience and training setting to ratings of teaching effectiveness.

A clinical teaching assessment form was used to evaluate the teaching by faculty and residents in the required third-year medicine clerkship over a two-year period. Data from 1,627 forms were analyzed for differences between groups of teachers at different experience levels and for comparison of teaching programs at different training sites. The level of involvement of instructor with student correlated with ratings by the students. Among groups of instructors, chief medical residents received the highest overall ratings. Faculty were rated higher than first-, second-, and third-year residents when degree of involvement of instructor with student was high. Ratings among faculty of different academic ranks were not significantly different. Analysis of data from different clinical settings showed that the teaching efforts by clinical faculty members in the ambulatory setting received the highest ratings from students. Although increased involvement of instructors with students or other factors may have led to the higher ratings in the ambulatory setting, the results are encouraging for the use of ambulatory teaching sites for the basic medicine clerkship.

Clinical evaluation assessment form.

Clinical evaluation assessment form.

The Clinical Skills Assessment Form:

A 12-item rating scale, the Clinical Skills Assessment Form, used for assessing the clinical skills of pediatric candidates during their final clinical examination is described. In addition to the description, a measure of internal consistency as well as a factor analysis of the scale to validate the structure of the scale are also reported. The results of the concurrent validity of the form are presented. Results indicate that the form is internally consistent, measures three global aspects, and correlates modestly with other certification measures. Further research using the form is discussed.

A profile of low vision among the blind school students in Lumbini Zone of Nepal

There is an increasing awareness about the needs of students with low vision, particularly in developing countries where programs of integrated education are being developed. However, the appropriate low vision services are usually neither available, nor affordable. To study the profile of students with low vision in Lumbini Zone of Nepal. A cross-sectional study included students with low vision from 8 integrated schools. The reading performance was measured using their own text-books with optical low vision devices prescribed for near reading. The reading rates were measured on a range of print sizes. The Standard Clinical Low Vision Assessment Form and the National Low Vision Program protocol were used. SPSS software was used in data analysis. Of 46 students enrolled, 23 had a mild visual impairment, 18 had severe visual impairment and 5 were blind. Spectacles were needed for 29 (63 %) students. Of the 11 students who had been wearing glasses, the visual acuity improved in 4 with a change in prescription. 91 % of the students had near vision better or equal to 1.5 M with optical low vision services for near reading. The reading rate was 24 WPM at the age of 5 years, whereas at the age of 21 years, it was 55 WPM. The majority of the students with low vision need optical low vision services. Accurate refraction is important in these students. The reading rate increases significantly with improved near visual acuity.