School of Medicine, The University of Notre Dame, Sydney, Australia.
College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Douglas, Australia.
Med Teach. 2021 Feb;43(2):174-181. doi: 10.1080/0142159X.2020.1830959. Epub 2020 Oct 25.
The Australian Collaboration for Clinical Assessment in Medicine (ACCLAiM) is a voluntary assessment consortium, involving medical schools nationwide. The aims of ACCLAiM are to benchmark student clinical assessment outcomes and to provide quality assurance (QA) of exit-level Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCEs). This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the ACCLAiM QA process for optimising OSCE delivery standards at the member schools using a Community of Practice (CoP) framework.
A mixed methods sequential explanatory design, involving an online questionnaire and subsequent focus group discussions, was utilised. Questionnaire responses were analysed using descriptive statistics, while thematic analysis was employed for the qualitative data.
Data analysis revealed that school-specific OSCE practices had evolved based on QA feedback, as well as a collaborative sharing of expertise consistent with a CoP model. Extending beyond a QA working group for accountability and demonstration of minimum standards, participation in ACCLAiM QA processes is creating a sustainable socio-academic network focused on quality improvement.
Collaborative QA in clinical assessment creates opportunities for optimising standards in OSCE processes and sharing of resources for OSCE assessments. It also allows for professional development and scholarly engagement in assessment research. These benefits contribute to the existence of an emergent CoP model.
澳大利亚临床医学评估合作组织（ACCLAiM）是一个全国性的医学院校自愿评估联盟。ACCLAiM 的目标是对学生临床评估结果进行基准测试，并对终点客观结构化临床考试（OSCE）进行质量保证（QA）。本研究旨在使用实践社区（CoP）框架评估 ACCLAiM QA 流程对成员学校优化 OSCE 交付标准的影响。
采用混合方法序贯解释设计，包括在线问卷和随后的焦点小组讨论。使用描述性统计分析问卷回复，同时对定性数据进行主题分析。
数据分析表明，基于 QA 反馈以及与 CoP 模型一致的专业知识的协作共享，学校特定的 OSCE 实践已经发展。超越了 QA 工作组的问责制和最低标准的展示，参与 ACCLAiM QA 流程正在创建一个专注于质量改进的可持续社会学术网络。
临床评估中的协作 QA 为优化 OSCE 流程标准和 OSCE 评估资源共享创造了机会。它还允许在评估研究中进行专业发展和学术参与。这些好处有助于新兴 CoP 模型的存在。
