ENHANCING CLINICAL PERFORMANCE THROUGH WORKPLACE-BASED ASSESSMENT IN MEDICINE
Main Article Content
Keywords
Workplace-based assessment, Mini-CEX, DOPS, medical education, clinical competence, House officers training, medicine, real-time feedback
Abstract
Background
Clinical skills in medicine grow most effectively when students work directly with patients under supervision. Workplace-based assessment (WPBA) is widely used to help students improve through observation and timely feedback. This study examined the impact of WPBA on clinical and procedural skills among house officers during their medicine rotation.
Methodology
This pre- and post-interventional study was conducted in the Medicine Department at LUMHS and Sir Syed Hospital over nine months in 2022. A total of 100 house officers were enrolled Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercises (Mini-CEX), Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS), and case-based discussions were used to assess performance in history taking, physical examination, clinical reasoning, documentation, and prescribing. Pre- and post-WPBA scores were compared, and paired statistical tests were applied with significance set at p ≤ 0.05.
Results
House officers demonstrated significant improvement across all clinical domains following WPBA implementation. Mean scores increased in history taking, physical examination, clinical reasoning, documentation, and safe prescribing (p < 0.001 for all outcomes). Procedural competencies such as ABG sampling, IV cannulation, airway management, ECG interpretation, and blood culture technique also improved markedly after repeated DOPS encounters and guided feedback
Conclusion
WPBA significantly enhanced clinical and procedural competencies among house officers, indicating its value as both an assessment and learning tool in postgraduate clinical training. Integrating structured WPBA with timely feedback throughout the house-job period strengthens clinical readiness and supports safe, independent practice. Wider and earlier implementation may further optimise training outcomes.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in JPTCP are licensed under Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Hudebia Allah Buksh
Assistant Professor Department of Medical Education, Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan
Zia Ullah Khan
Associate Professor of Medicine, Sir Syed College of Medical Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
Muhammad Fahad
Consultant Nephrologist & Physician
