Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran.
Student Research Committee, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran.
BMC Med Educ. 2024 Oct 31;24(1):1241. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-06264-7.
The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a crucial assessment tool for evaluating learners' ability to apply theoretical knowledge in practical clinical situations. It is widely accepted by both students and educators, and the costs associated with conducting OSCE assessments vary depending on the field of study, how it is implemented, staffing needs, standardized patients, and duration of the examination. This study examines the expenses related to administering OSCEs in medical universities.
Conducted from June to September 2023; this mixed-method study elucidated the cost intricacies of executing a two-day OSCE with 14 eight-minute stations for 100 nursing students. This process unfolds in two phases: a qualitative segment comprising text reviews and 45-minute in-depth interviews with faculty members and OSCE experts, leading to the development of a validated checklist, followed by a quantitative phase in which the tool was distributed to 25 faculty members and 5 specialists for completion.
The examination costs were delineated into three primary components: time, human resources, equipment, consumables, and necessary supplies. In 2023, the total implementation cost of the OSCE for 100 students across 14 clinical stations was $1028.07, with an estimated per-learner cost of $37.50. Human resources incurred the highest expenditure ($1649.37); while supply costs were relatively lower ($1072.17). Educational infrastructure expenses were excluded because the study focused on the Nursing and Midwifery Faculty's Clinical Skills Center.
Various factors influence OSCE costs, including national production capabilities of medical supplies, institutional credibility, governance status, examination frequency, student demographics, assessor composition, station count, course content, and examinee volume. The insights derived from this comprehensive examination are significant as entry benchmarks for healthcare systems and higher-level academic evaluations. Understanding OSCE cost dynamics facilitates resource optimization and assessment strategy refinement, thereby improving medical education efficacy.
客观结构化临床考试（OSCE）是评估学习者将理论知识应用于实际临床情况能力的重要评估工具。它得到了学生和教育者的广泛认可，并且进行 OSCE 评估的相关成本因学习领域、实施方式、人员配备需求、标准化患者以及考试持续时间的不同而有所差异。本研究考察了医科大学进行 OSCE 的相关费用。
本混合方法研究于 2023 年 6 月至 9 月进行，阐述了为 100 名护理学生进行为期两天、包含 14 个 8 分钟站点的 OSCE 的费用细节。该过程分为两个阶段：第一阶段为定性阶段，包括对文本的审查以及对教师和 OSCE 专家进行 45 分钟的深入访谈，由此制定出经过验证的清单；第二阶段为定量阶段，向 25 名教师和 5 名专家分发该工具供其填写。
考试费用分为三个主要组成部分：时间、人力资源、设备、消耗品和必要用品。2023 年，在 14 个临床站点进行 100 名学生的 OSCE 的总实施费用为 1028.07 美元，每名学生的估计费用为 37.50 美元。人力资源支出最高（1649.37 美元）；而供应成本相对较低（1072.17 美元）。由于本研究重点关注护理和助产学系的临床技能中心，因此不包括教育基础设施费用。
多种因素影响 OSCE 成本，包括医疗用品的国家生产能力、机构信誉、治理地位、考试频率、学生人口统计数据、评估人员组成、站点数量、课程内容和考生人数。从本次全面检查中获得的见解对于医疗保健系统和更高级别的学术评估具有重要的基准意义。了解 OSCE 成本动态有助于优化资源和改进评估策略，从而提高医学教育的效果。
