Comparison of faculty assessment and students' self-assessment of performance during clinical case discussions in a pharmacotherapy capstone course.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to compare faculty assessment and third year students' self-assessment of performance in clinical case discussions. The secondary objective was to evaluate if student characteristics influence self-assessments. METHODS: This retrospective analysis compared faculty and student self-assessment scores for two clinical case discussions using Spearman's correlation and Wilcoxon's signed ranks test. Chi-squared test was used to compare frequency of faculty and student self-assessments indicating the highest possible rating for the pooled score and for each individual component. The pooled score included three individual components level of engagement, quality of contribution, and professionalism. RESULTS: Pooled faculty and student self-assessments correlated for both the first (r = 0.41, p < 0.001) and second (r = 0.35; p < 0.001) clinical case discussions. The frequency that faculty and student self-assessment ratings were the highest possible pooled score was similar for both the first (51.3% vs. 44.7%, respectively, p = 0.25) and second (58.6% vs. 47.4%, p = 0.05) clinical case discussions. Student characteristics (age, gender, and grade point average at graduation) did not influence self-assessments. CONCLUSIONS: Students' self-assessment correlated with faculty assessment of performance during clinical case discussions. Increased use of self-assessments for professional development in pharmacy and other healthcare professional curricula should be considered.