Improving the assessment of communication competencies in a national licensing OSCE: lessons learned from an experts’ symposium

Table 1 Major suggestions identified through the thematic analysis

*How can the design of OSCE stations improve the assessment of physician-patient communication competencies?*
1. Develop scenarios aimed at measuring the adequacy of examinees’ responses to pre-specified emotional cues
2. Develop scenarios with a main focus on specific communication situations
3. Involve communication experts in the in the development of the OSCE stations
4. Monitor the balance between authenticity and standardization
*How can the rating scale improve the assessment of physician-patient communication competencies?*
5. Ensure the presence of items that capture case-specific communication outcomes
6. Use a global rating scale for the assessment of general communication competencies
*How can simulated patients contribute to the assessment of physician-patient communication competencies?*
7. Include an additional assessment of communication by SPs
8. Adapt SPs’ training to the new stations for the assessment of communication competencies
*How can the raters’ training be improved?*
9. Adapt the raters’ training to the new stations dedicated to the assessment of communication competencies

ISSN: 1472-6920