Assessment methods of an undergraduate psychiatry course at a Saudi University

ABSTRACT

In Arab countries there are few studies on assessment methods in the field of psychiatry. The objective of this study was to assess the outcome of different forms of psychiatric course assessment among fifth year medical students at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. We examined the performance of 110 fifth-year medical students through objective structured clinical examinations [OSCE], traditional oral clinical examinations [TOCE], portfolios, multiple choice questions [MCQ], and a written examination. The score ranges in TOCE, OSCE, portfolio, and MCQ were 32-50, 7-15, 5-10 and 22-45, respectively. In regression analysis, there was a significant correlation between OSCE and all forms of psychiatry examinations, except for the MCQ marks. OSCE accounted for 65.1% of the variance in total clinical marks and 31.5% of the final marks [P = 0.001], while TOCE alone accounted for 74.5% of the variance in the clinical scores. This study demonstrates a consistency among the students' assessment methods used in the psychiatry course, particularly the clinical component, in an integrated manner. This information would be useful for future developments in undergraduate teaching