18 1735-4315 Iran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services 133 Editorial Bolhari Jafar 1 5 2007 13 1 3 4 19 07 2007 Editorial
134 Running the First Psychiatry OSCE in Iran and Satisfaction of Consultants, Residents, and Standardized Patients Bolhari Jafar Taghva Arsia Rasoulian Maryam Mohammadian Mehrdad Panaghi Leili Amini Homayoun 1 5 2007 13 1 5 11 19 07 2007  Objectives: This study aimed at reviewing how the first Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in psychiatry was conducted and at assessing appreciation of this method by the residents, con-sultants, and standardized patients (SPs) compared to the current psychiatry oral exams. Method: A total of 22 psychiatry residents of final year were tested in 9 stations in the presence of 8 standardized patients and a conclusion station. Each station took 12 minutes. Two consultants rated the residents separately in each station based on the designed scoring tables. After the exam, consultants, residents and standardized patients were assessed by questionnaires. This assessment was repeated three weeks later and immediately after the oral board exam from the same residents. Results: Residents described timing of the stations, information given before the exam, and capability of the OSCE in assessing competence of the residents as fair and appropriate. Seventy-five percent of the residents were happy to have participated in this exam. Most of them described the current oral board exam as not fair, not objective and even not similar to the actual clinical settings. Rater consultants also described the goals of the stations, timing, and performance of SPs as appropriate. SPs were happy to participate in this experience again too. Conclusion: Holding a satisfactory and accurate OSCE receives approval of the participants (residents), raters (consultants), and SPs. 135 Qualitative Assessment of the First Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in Psychiatry in Iran. Rasoulian Maryam Taghva Arsia Panaghi Leili Zahiroddin Alireza Salehi Mansour Ghalebandi Mirfarhad 1 5 2007 13 1 12 16 21 07 2007  Objectives: The psychiatric OSCE was experimentally conducted for the first time in Iran at the level of subspecialties in August 2004. We aimed to qualitatively evaluate the attending professors’ and psy-chiatry residents’ viewpoints in order to understand the advantages, deficiencies, difficulties and suggestions of professors and residents in this regard. Method: In this qualitative study, focused group discussion method of the attending professors and psychiatry residents participating in this test was used on the day of testing. Two focused group discussion sessions were conducted each including 8-10 participants. Results: According to attending professors and psychiatry residents, fairness was the most significant advantage of OSCE. The most im-portant failure of OSCE, according to psychiatry residents, was being artificial in the station environment and lack of an appropriate rapport with the unreal patient. Attending professors pointed out that OSCE is pretty time-consuming and costly. Main suggestions they offered for optimization of OSCE included more further training of standard patients as well as displaying already prepared movies from real pa-tients in some of stations. Conclusion: In professors’ and residents’ point of view, psychiatric OSCE has significant advantages over current testing for psychiatric residents. However, providing a successful OSCE in the upcoming years requires that the aforementioned problems be cleared by further training of standard patients and applying other suggestions cited by the professors and residents. 136 Validity and Reliability of the First Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in Psychiatry in Iran Taghva Arsia Rasoulian Maryam Panaghi Leili Bolhari Jafar Zarghami Mehran Nasr-esfahani Mehdi Hodges Brian 1 5 2007 13 1 17 24 21 07 2007  Objectives: This study aims at the evaluation of validity and reli-ability of Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in psy-chiatry and among the residents. Method: Following assessments and a lot of discussions among all consultant psychiatrists in the country, nine 12-minute stations were designed. In each station, two examining raters completed the pre-viously designed checklists individually. Standardized patients were used in 8 of the stations. Face and content validity, construct validity, concurrent validity and inter-rater reliability, internal consistency and inter-station reliability were all assessed. Results: Face and content validity of the test was reached after holding sessions with the presence of the consultants and chair of the country’s specialty board and also providing all practical goals while discussing them in different group meetings. Concurrent validity was evaluated after comparing OSCE scores for both the residents and their own consultants. Concurrent validity was assessed through evalu- ating correlation of OSCE scores with results of oral and written board exams, competency exams, and psychiatry entry exam, which actually showed an appropriate validity for this test. Assessment of test reliability using the inter-rater reliability, internal consistency, and inter-station reliability displayed an appropriate reliability for this OSCE. Conclusion: The first psychiatry OSCE had significant validity and reliability. 137 Attitude of Psychiatric Professors and Residents towards Performance of Standardized Patients in the Objective Structured Clinical Examination in Psychiatry Sadeghi Majid Taghva Arsia Mir-sepassi Gholam Reza Hasanzadeh Mehdi 1 5 2007 13 1 25 28 21 07 2007  Objectives: The increasing use of standardized patients in the psy-chiatric Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) promoted the investigators to explore the viewpoints of examining professors and participating psychiatric residents towards the performance of the standardized patients. Method: In an OSCE, 22 of the final year psychiatric residents and 16 examiners participated in our study. Performance of the 8 standardized patients in all 8 stations was evaluated after the test. Results: This study showed acceptable and appropriate performance of standardized patients both in acting according to and in actualizing the scenarios. Conclusion: Use of standardized patients in psychiatric OSCE is recommended by the examining professors and also residents.  138 Are Standardized Patients Able to Rate Performance of Psychiatric Residents in the Objective Structured Clinical Examination? Taghva Arsia Mir-sepassi Gholam Reza Sadeghi Majid Panaghi Leili Ghalebandi Mirfarhad 1 5 2007 13 1 29 33 21 07 2007  Objectives: This study aims to compare viewpoints of standardized patients (SPs) and consultant psychiatrists about the performance of volunteer residents in the first Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in Iran. Method: OSCE was hold with 9 stations and 8 SPs, in one day with attendance of 22 senior psychiatric residents. In each station two raters independently scored the residents based on a previously prepared checklist. SPs were three females and five males with the mean age of 27 years. In the end, viewpoints of consultant psychi-atrists and SPs on the performance of residents were compared. Results: Beside three stations, no significant correlation between SPs’ and consultants’ opinions could be found in other stations.  SPs in the stations with significant correlation had higher level of educa-tion especially in the psychiatry-relevant fields. Conclusion: Despite capabilities of the SPs, it is probably not reason- able to rely on their opinion as raters unless they have higher level of education. 139 Attitude of Iranian Psychiatry Residents toward Psychiatric Objective Structured Clinical Examination Zarghami Mehran Sheykh Mounesi Fatemeh Taghva Arsia Khalilian Alireza 1 5 2007 13 1 34 40 21 07 2007  Objectives: Few reports are available regarding the use of Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for the evaluation of psy-chiatry residents. Assessing their attitudes towards this method of testing has been the aim of this study. Method: Forty psychiatry residents from all universities in Iran who were selected on a stratified sampling method participated in the third comprehensive pilot OSCE in Iran. After the exam, viewpoints were canvassed using a questionnaire and also face to face interview. Data were then analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. Results: Ninety percent of residents believed that the simulations and scenarios were quite realistic and 97.5% considered the scenarios reflective of clinical situations they usually experience. Most of the residents believed also such an examination could discriminate com-petent and incompetent residents successfully. Eighty percent of the residents believed that OSCE is superior than the oral board examina-tion and 87.5% felt they would like the experience to be a formative part of their residency training. Conclusion: The oral or practical board examination can be replaced by OSCE. 140 Validity and Reliability of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination in Psychiatry: A Guided Survey Attari Abbas Mir-sepassi Gholam Reza Taghva Arsia Bolhari Jafar Aminoroaia Mahin Hasanzadeh Akbar 1 5 2007 13 1 41 48 21 07 2007 141 Validation of Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) Zaki Mohammad Ali 1 5 2007 13 1 49 57 21 07 2007  Objectives: The purpose of the present study has been assessing life satisfaction as an indicator of positive attitude towards life. Method: Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) was used for 200 high school students (100 boys and 100 girls) with three educational field of study: mathematics, science, and humanities in districts three and five of Isfahan city. They were selected on a randomized multi-stage cluster sampling. Data were then analyzed using t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient, one-way analysis of variance, and factor analysis. Results: Cronbach’s Alpha in all subjects, male students, and female students were 0.863, 0.844 and 0.884 respectively. Furthermore, the reliability of the instrument was considered acceptable for the educational districts (of three and five) as well as among the three educational study fields (mathematics, science, and humanities). Reliability of five research subscales: friends, self, school, family, and living environment was also reported as acceptable. Factor analysis indicated that items of instrument could be reduced to five factors reflecting construct validity. Conclusion: This scale can be used as a reliable measure in the high school students in Isfahan. 142 Letter to the Editor Taghva Arsia Bahador Hamidollah Attari Abass Fadaee Farbod 1 5 2007 13 1 58 59 21 07 2007 Letter to the Editor 143 Letter to the Editor Taghva Arsia 1 5 2007 13 1 60 61 21 07 2007 Letter to the Editor