Continuous workplace-based assessment as an indication of clinical competence in paediatric dentistry

Abstract

An authentic workplace setting provides the ideal opportunity for assessment of students’ clinical competence at the ‘does’ level of performance. Final-year dental students in the Department of Paediatric Dentistry at the University of the Western Cape are evaluated in the clinical environment on a daily basis through multiple clinical evaluations which assess clinical and diagnostic skills over a year. An additional end-of-module clinical assessment in the form of a single blinded patient case (BPC) determines if students have reached the expected level of clinical competence in terms of patient evaluation and diagnosis. However, the reliability and feasibility of this single end-of-module clinical case have been questioned in this setting. This study aimed to determine if the current continuous workplace-based assessment (WPBA) results could be used as an indication of final-year students’ clinical competence at the end of the module. A retrospective, quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted of all complete assessment records. The correlation between the continuous WPBA components was analysed together with an evaluation of the reliability and validity of the assessment results. The continuous formative WPBA practices were found to be both valid and reliable when using Kane’s (2013) and Royal’s (2017) frameworks for analysis. However, the BPC should be reconsidered due to feasibility and reliability concerns. Key words: Dental education, Paediatric Dentistry, clinical skills, workplace, summative, formative, continuous assessment