OSPE in Biochemistry -An Assessment Tool for First M.B.B.S. Students as a Prelude toCBME in India

Background and Introduction:The study was undertaken with the anticipation of implementation of CBME in India. Aimsand Objectives: Evaluate Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) as a tool for effective assessment of practical skills in the subject of Biochemistry.To introduce the M.B.B.S. students to OSPE,evaluatethe perception of students and teachers towards OSPE and compare OSPE with the conventional approach of practical examination taking into consideration the performance of students in both examinations.Materials and Methods:This cross-sectional studywas conducted in the department of Biochemistry and included First M.B.B.S. students of the batch 2018-19. After prior sensitization to OSPE, First M.B.B.S. students were assessed by rotation around 10 stations. Later a conventional practical examination was also conducted on the same practical syllabus as OSPE. Students score in both examinations was compared and feedback was taken from the students as well as faculty to gain an insight into their perception about OSPE. The mean scores of the students in both the examinations were compared using student t test with the help of the Microsoft excel 2010 and GraphPad prism 5 software.Results and Discussion:Out ofthe seventy-seven students who appeared for both OSPE and the conventional examination, twenty-six students scored ≥ 50% marks in OSPE as compared to seventy-fivestudents in the conventional examination. Most of themagreed that OSPE was more focused on learning objective, encouraged learning, and analytical and interpretive thinking by the students, eliminated examiner bias and OSPE should be a part of their practical examination.Conclusion:OSPE is an objective and reliable tool for assessment in biochemistry, which helps to improve learning and evaluation of practical skills in biochemistry. With a proper and planned implementation, OSPE can be included in the evaluation system for the subject.