Content validity of the Quebec licensing examination (OSCE). Assessed by practising physicians.

OBJECTIVE: To assess content validity of the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), which uses multiple encounters with standardized patients and which is included in the Quebec licensing examination (QLEx). DESIGN: Descriptive study using written questionnaires based on Likert-type scales. SETTING: Examination centres of the QLEx. PARTICIPANTS: Thirteen practising family physicians with 3 to 6 years' practice experience who passed the QLEx OSCE in May 1993. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Opinion whether the QLEx OSCE globally measured the competence of family physicians; opinion whether OSCE cases and stations made it possible to assess the main clinical abilities required of a family physician; opinion on specific statements about each case, such as how frequently the case was seen in the participants' practice, if the participants knew how to deal with the problem, if the simulated patient was believable, if the clinical situation was realistic, and if the duration of the station was adequate; and participants' self-assessment of their performance on the case. RESULTS: Eleven participants (84.6%) agreed that the OSCE globally measured the competence of a family physician. All agreed that the OSCE cases and stations made it possible to assess the main clinical skills required of a family physician. For most of the cases, participants believed that they knew how to deal with the problem, that the clinical situation was realistic, that the simulated patient was believable, and that the case duration was adequate. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the content validity of the QLEx OSCE and confirm that it assesses the main skills needed for practising family medicine and adequately samples possible encounters or cases seen in family practice.