Comprehensive assessment of reliability and validity for the clinical cases in simulated community pharmacy

Abstract

Background: The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is used to measure the clinical competence of pharmacy students in a community pharmacy setup. However, the OSCE needs to be standardised to assess the clinical competence of the student accurately. Objectives: The present study was aimed to assess the reliability and validity of two clinical cases used in the simulated community pharmacy. Methods: OSCE simulation was performed by the students with two clinical cases in a simulated community pharmacy. The reliability was measured using Cronbach’s α and Mc Donald’s ω. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to measure the validity of the cases. Results: Among the two cases, the first case scenario was found to have a good model fit. However, the second case scenario has a poor model fit which was determined by the CFA. The inadequate sample size and factor loading in EFA were the main reasons for poor model fit in the second case scenario. Conclusion: The internal consistency, sample adequacy, factor loading, test for an exact fit, and fit measurements should be ensured for the clinical cases included in OSCE. This will help the academician to ensure the accurate assessment of the clinical competence of the student in a simulated community pharmacy.

Association between Clinical Case Validation and Students’ Success Rate in Virtual Pharmacy Simulation

“…28,29 The previous investigators in pharmacy education already attempted validation of clinical cases; however, this is the first study to establish the importance of clinical case validation in virtual simulation. 16,30 The biggest challenge to implementing efficient virtual pharmacy simulations was the time required to create and validate the case scenarios. In this regard, the collaborative help of the faculty members supported the development and validation of the cases.…”

“…15 A comprehensive validation procedure was recently established in an objective structured simulation in a community pharmacy. 16 However, knowledge of the importance of clinical case validation and its impact on student's success rate in virtual simulation is yet to be established. Considering the above uncertainties, the present study aimed to investigate the association between the pass percentage of students and the validation of multimedia computer-based interactive patient scenarios.…”