Innovation Way to Digitize Objective Structured Clinical Exams Evaluation using Electronic Software: Faculty of Pharmacy Experience

Abstract

The traditional paper-based Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has been the mainstay in the assessment of the clinical competency of students in health sciences programs. The process, though, seems tedious and time-consuming. Hence, there is an increasing call for electronic OSCE. How the examiners perceived the usage and assessment process of the electronic OSCE needs to be clarified. The study aimed to evaluate the use of the electronic system in assessing students’ clinical skill competence and the evaluators’ perceptions of electronic OSCE. This study was an online-based cross-sectional survey among examiners in a pharmacy school in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Through online workshops, the 4th and final-year students and their examiners were trained on using electronic OSCE. Several stations and circuits were systematically arranged for the examination. The students were examined one after another. At the end of the examination, a Google form questionnaire containing 22 items was administered to all the examiners to assess their perceptions towards electronic OSCE. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The research involved 23(100%) examiners who agreed that the workshop session prepared them for adopting an electronic system for evaluating clinical skills. Most assessors found electronic OSCE easy to access (56.5%) and use, and 73.9% of participants believed it was easier than paper-based assessments. About 69.6% of examiners had positive perceptions about the use and assessment process of electronic OSCE. This study highlights the effectiveness of electronic OSCE systems in assessing pharmacy students' clinical skill proficiency, with high satisfaction levels and favorable opinions from examiners.