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Comparative Study
. 2019:16:31.
doi: 10.3352/jeehp.2019.16.31. Epub 2019 Oct 15.

Application of an objective structured clinical examination to evaluate and monitor intern's proficiency of hand hygiene and personal protective equipment use in the United States

Ying Nagoshi  1 , Lou Ann Cooper  2 , Lynne Meyer  3 , Kartik Cherabuddi  4 , Julia Close  5 , Jamie Dow  6 , Merry Jennifer Markham  5 , Carolyn Stalvey  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Application of an objective structured clinical examination to evaluate and monitor intern's proficiency of hand hygiene and personal protective equipment use in the United States

Ying Nagoshi et al. J Educ Eval Health Prof. 2019.

Abstract

Purpose: To determine if an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) could be used to evaluate and monitor hand hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE) proficiency for medical interns in the United States.

Methods: Interns in July 2015 (N=123, Cohort 1) without OSCE-based contact precaution evaluation and teaching were evaluated early 2016 by OSCE for hand hygiene and PPE proficiency. They performed poorly. Therefore, the new interns entering July 2016 (N=151, Cohort 2) were immediately tested in the same OSCE station as Cohort 1 and provided feedback and teaching. Cohort 2 was then retested in the OSCE station early 2017. The Mann Whitney U test was used to compare Cohort 1 vs. Cohort 2 performances on checklist items. Cohort 2 performance differences at the beginning and end of the intern year were compared using McNemar's X2 test for paired nominal data.

Results: Checklist items were scored, summed and reported as percent correct. In Cohort 2, the mean percent correct was higher in posttest than pretest, 92% vs. 77% )(P <0 .0001). The passing rate (100% correct) was significantly higher, 55% vs. 16%. Comparing Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 at the end of intern year, the mean percent correct was higher for Cohort 2 compared to Cohort 1, 95% vs 90% (P < 0.0001). 55% of the Cohort 2 passed (a perfect score) compared to 24% in Cohort 1 (P < 0.0001).

Conclusion: An OSCE can be utilized to evaluate and monitor hand hygiene and PPE proficiency for interns in the United States.

Keywords: Cohort studies; Hand hygiene; Personal protective equipment; United States.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

No other potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Diagram of the study including subjects, groups, and the intervention process to evaluate and monitor improvements in hand hygiene and the use of personal protective equipment techniques for interns from 2015 to 2017 at the University of Florida Health Shands Hospital, United States. OSCE, objective structured clinical examination.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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