DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2017.v05i02.033

Pages: 470-475

Assessment for practical skills in medical education needs improvement from subjective methods to objective ones. The quality of an assessment depends on its reliability, validity, educational impact, acceptability and feasibility. An Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) has been considered as one such method. The current study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using OSPE as a tool for the formative assessment of undergraduate medical education in Physiology. The objectives were to compare the scores of first MBBS Students when assessed by conventional method of assessment and OSPE and to evaluate feedback of medical students and faculty members regarding perception of both assessment methods. 100 1st year MBBS students divided into 4 groups of 25 students each were included in the study. Two practical procedures - Pulse examination and Ankle jerk elicitation were assessed at two different stations by two examiners per station. . One examiner assess by conventional methods and other by OSPE method .At the end of the assessment feedback from the students and teachers were taken about the assessment methods on Likert scale. The students obtained significantly higher marks on being assessed by OSPE as compared with conventional method of assessment during both practical examination exercises. On evaluation of student‟s responses in feedback questionnaires it was found that OSPE is a less stressful, less exhausting and fair method of assessment. Also on evaluation of feedback responses of teachers it was found that OSPE is a better way to assess the different domains of knowledge of student, which specifically highlights the weak and strong parts of subject of student and compels the student to learn different procedures in detail. The teachers considered this method as more exhausting and stressful. Both students and teachers considered OSPE a better method to be used in future examination.