To the Editor: An evaluation of 3390 prevocational progress assessment forms in New South Wales suggested that the assessment instrument appears unable to detect underperforming doctors, and may not aid their professional development.1 Similarly, Queensland interns undertake five terms per year and, in each of these, they are assessed against 11 items in three domains: clinical competence, communication, and personal and professional skills. The purpose of the assessment is to identify underperformers and subsequently to help improve their performance. However, there is limited literature on the psychometric properties of the instruments used. Our study aimed to evaluate the construct validity and reliability of the instrument as a measure of interns’ performance.
The full article is accessible to AMA members and paid subscribers. Login to read more or purchase a subscription now.
Please note: institutional and Research4Life access to the MJA is now provided through Wiley Online Library.
- 1. Bingham CM, Crampton R. A review of prevocational medical trainee assessment in New South Wales. Med J Aust 2011; 195: 410-412. <MJA full text>
- 2. Confederation of Postgraduate Medical Education Councils. Australian curriculum framework for junior doctors. http://curriculum.cpmec.org.au/ (accessed Aug 2010).
- 3. Hays R. Assessment in medical education: roles for clinical teachers. Clin Teach 2008; 5: 23-27.
- 4. Sidhu RS, Hatala R, Barron S, et al. Reliability and acceptance of the mini-clinical evaluation exercise as a performance assessment of practicing physicians. Acad Med 2009 (10 Suppl); 84: S113-S115.
- 5. Bamforth M, Agarwal M. Direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS). In: Bhugra D, Malik A, Brown N, editors. Workplace-based assessments in psychiatry. London: Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2007: 56.
We thank staff from the Medical Education Unit at Princess Alexandra Hospital for their support and advice.
No relevant disclosures.