Applying a video recording, video-based rating method in OSCEs

Introduction Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) results could be affected by low homogeneity of examiners, non-retrospectiveness of test results, and examiner-cohort effect. In China, many students participate in medical qualification examinations, and this issue is particularly significant. This study aimed to develop a video recording, video-based rating method and compare the reliability of video and on-site ratings to enhance the quality assurance of OSCEs. Methods The subjects of this study were clinical students one year after graduation participating in the clinical skills portion of the National Medical Licensing Examination. The participants were from four cities in Jiangsu province. Participants were randomly allocated to on-site and video rating groups to evaluate the rating methods consistency. We verified the reliability of recording equipment and evaluability of video recording. Moreover, we compared the consistency and equivalence of the two rating methods and analyzed the impact of video recording on scores. Results The reliability of recording equipment and evaluability of video recording were high. Evaluation consistency between experts and examiners was acceptable, and there was no difference in evaluation results (P = 0.61). There was good consistency between video and on-site rating; however, a difference between the two rating methods was detected. The scores of video-based rating group students were lower than those of all students (P < 0.00). Conclusions Video-based rating could be reliable and offer advantages over on-site rating. The video recording, video-based rating method could provide greater content validity based on its traceability and the ability to view details. Video recording, video-based rating offers a promising mthod for improving the effectiveness and fairness of OSCEs.