Comparison of achievement in anamnesis skills in on-site and online formative Objective Structured Clinical Exam

Abstract

Introduction: anamnesis is an initial step of the clinical reasoning process, which is taught throughout interviews to real or simulated patients. Its evaluation through OSCEs is widely disseminated, and in the context of a pandemic, the OSCE was adapted to be administered online. Objective: to compare the levels of achievement in anamnesis skills of two cohorts of medical students in formative OSCEs of semiology in on-site and online modality. Methods: using a blueprint established in 2017 and implemented for three years, competencies were identified that could be trained and evaluated online in third-year medical students. Telesimulations were performed with role play for anamnesis ability. Guided by a tutor, each student participated in 10 telesimulated anamnesis with peer roleplay and one anamnesis with a simulated pacientent. All of it in groups of 6 students. A formative TeleOSCE was implemented, evaluating the same skills of the year 2019 in a face-to-face training instance. In 2019 and 2020, 92 and 91 students participated respectively. The students' performance was compared in three identical scenarios. Results: at the cough, acute diarrhea, and knee pain screening scenarios, students in the 2020 cohort performed better than those in the 2019 cohort (p<0,001). Conclusions: for the development of anamnesis skill in third-year medical students, telesimulation-based teaching allows students to demonstrate adequate performance on a practical assessment administered online via TeleOSCE.