Using modified Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) to assess undergraduate medical students

Nowadays according to competency based curriculum, selecting an appropriate assessment method is inevitable. This study aimed to investigate application of Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) in undergraduate medical students.
This is a cross sectional study conducted during emergency ward rotation in last year medical students using consensus sampling method. Each student performed 2 procedures at least twice under the observation of 2 assessors using modified DOPS rating scales designed for each procedure simultaneously. Correlation between DOPS score and final routine exam was measured. Face and content validity was determined by the panel of experts. Moreover, through the test-retest and interrater reliability, the correlation of each score and total score was investigated. The spent time was calculated too. The statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 18.
Totally 60 students did 240 procedures under DOPS. The face and content validity confirmed by an expert panel. The findings showed that there was a significant correlation between the scores of each test and the total DOPS score (r1=0.736**, r2=0.793**, r3=0.564**, r4=0.685**; p The use of novel performance assessment methods such as DOPS is highly beneficial in order to ensure the adequacy of learning in medical students and assess their readiness for accepting professional responsibilities. DOPS as a practical and reliable test with acceptable validation can be used to assess clinical skills of undergraduate medical students.