Medical Competence and Performance Assessment
A New Era
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
Historically, the competence of physicians has been based on peer review of their performance. Formal assessment at the time of licensure and certification has been done by cognitive testing, a relatively easy method that is supported by a science of psychometrics. The assessment of actual performance has been less scientific, but that is changing.
The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) are developing tests of clinical skills using standardized patients for live or electronic simulations. Specialty boards are seeking standardized evaluations of residency performance as part of the certification process. Licensure boards propose to develop a final step of their examinations that will test the cognitive processes used by experienced clinicians. As recertification moves toward an evaluation of practice, there is a call for competence evaluations that will also examine practice performance. These may use a battery of techniques such as
Footnotes
-
The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and not necessarily those of the American Board of Medical Specialties or any of the other organizations cited.
-
Reprint requests to American Board of Medical Specialties, One Rotary Center, Suite 805, Evanston, IL 60201 (Dr Langsley).
