Can disclosure of scoring rubric for basic clinical skills improve objective structured clinical examination?

PURPOSE To determine whether disclosure of scoring rubric for objective basic clinical skills can improve the scores on the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in medical students. METHODS Clinical performance score results of one university medical students (study group, n=345) were compared to those of another university (control group, n=1,847). Both groups took identical OSCE exam. OSCE rubric was not revealed to the study group until they were in the last 2 years of medical school. RESULTS There was no significant difference between before and after disclosure of rubric. However, history taking and physical examination scores of the study group were lower than those of the control group before the disclosure of rubric. After disclosure of rubric, the scores were either unchanged or slightly increased in the control group. Trend analysis of scores demonstrated that history taking and physical examination scores after the disclosure were significantly increased in the study group for 2 years. CONCLUSION This study revealed that disclosure of basic clinical skills rubric to medical students could enhance their clinical performance, particularly in history taking and physical examination scores.