Who Can Pass the ISCD Professional Certification Course? The 8-Yr Experience in Taiwan

The International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) launched the professional certification course in early 1996 and was introduced to Taiwan by the Taiwanese Osteoporosis Association in 2002. Disclosing the associated factors of passing the certification examination would be valuable to advance the teaching skill of faculties and clinical excellence of professionals. From June 2002 to July 2009, 732 attendees (male/female = 621/111) of 12 professional certification courses (11 courses delivered in Chinese) were enrolled for analysis. All subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire including demographics and professional experience at the time of course registration. After certification examination, subjects were dichotomized as either pass or fail group for analyzing the determinants of pass rate statistically. The average pass rate of the 12 examinations was 75.3% (n = 551). In univariate analysis, the age (p < 0.001) and hospital level (p < 0.001) showed significant differences between the pass and fail groups. However, in the multivariate logistic analysis, only the age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.907, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.867-0.949, p < 0.001) and clinical experience (attending physician vs resident: OR = 3.210, 95% CI: 1.215-8.485, p = 0.019) were the independent determinants for passing the course. Professionals who are relatively younger or attending physicians have higher pass rate of ISCD course in Taiwan. The fact that only limited predisposing factors might influence the pass rate reflects the efficient design of course delivering. For any knowledge level of professionals who have interest in the excellence of osteoporosis diagnosis and management, the ISCD course is recommended.