The Script Concordance Test in anesthesiology: Validation of a new tool for assessing clinical reasoning

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate whether the Script Concordance Test (SCT) can discriminate between levels of experience among anesthesiology residents and attending physicians.

Study type: Multicenter (Toulouse, Nantes, Bordeaux and Limoges), prospective, observational study.

Patients and methods: A SCT made of 60 items was used to evaluate "junior residents" (n=60), "senior residents" (n=47) and expert anesthesiologists (n=10).

Results: There were no missing data in our study. Mean scores (±SD) were 69.9 (±6.1), 73.1 (±6.5) and 82.0 (±3.5) out of a potential score of 100 for "junior residents", "senior residents" and expert anesthesiologists, respectively. Results were statistically different between the 3 groups (P=0.001) using the Kruskall-Wallis test. The Cronbach's α score was 0.63.

Conclusions: The SCT is a valid and useful tool for discriminating between anesthesia providers with varying levels of experience in anesthesiology. It may be a useful tool for documenting the progression of reasoning during anesthesia residency.

Keywords: Anesthesiology; Resident; Script Concordance Test.