Educational efficacy of objective structured clinical examination on clinical training of traditional Chinese medicine – A qualitative study

• OSCE can be used in evaluating, teaching, and certifying TCM clinical competencies.
• OSCE can especially help TCM trainees on patient-centered learning.
• SPs can be considered to be raters of OSCE at the stations of communication skills.

ObjectiveWe propose applying objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) and discuss the educational efficacy of such examinations regarding the clinical competence of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners.DesignTCM OSCEs were implemented for evaluation and instruction from 2011 to 2013. Trainees received feedback from clinician-educators and standardized patients. Trainees' survey data were extracted from post-OSCE questionnaires and interviews to analyze TCM OSCEs.ResultsFive TCM OSCEs were administered, and the educational backgrounds of the 37 participants were analyzed. According to analysis of the questionnaires, all trainees agreed OSCEs were beneficial. In interviews, trainees expressed appreciation for the direct, real-time feedback during the OSCE and felt it closely resembled actual clinical work. However, the simulation models of OSCEs must be upgraded.ConclusionsOSCEs can be used in evaluating, teaching, and certifying TCM clinical competencies to improve the quality of TCM practices. The patient-centered training aspect of TCM OSCEs is particularly helpful for participants.