Advanced OSCE in Physical Assessment Presenting Patient Characteristics and Prescriptions - Utilization and Student Evaluations

Abstract

In the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Kyushu University of Health and Welfare, an Advanced Objective Structured Clinical Examination (advanced OSCE) utilizing a simulator has been performed since the 2010 school year for physical assessments. In 2014, we newly implemented the advanced OSCE (Ver 4) presenting patient characteristics and prescriptions. In the advanced OSCE, we created an issue table presenting patient characteristics and prescriptions and subsequently performed practical tests investigating pulse, blood pressure, heart sounds, lung sounds, and intestinal sounds. After the students viewed an issue table along with the package inserts of medicines shown in this table, they received the advanced OSCE. The mean scores of all of the detailed evaluations performed in the new advanced OSCE were slightly increased compared to the OSCE scores of the previous year. Higher achievement rates were also noted for each of the practical tests of the new advanced OSCE for which significant differences were observed (pulse measurement and listening to heart sounds) compared to the results of the previous year. This could be because students could not only determine these abnormal sounds but also predict patient symptoms based on information from patient characteristics and prescriptions. Another reason is that students could predict the effects and adverse effects of the medicines from the package inserts.