Creating and validating e-cases as educational tools in general practitioners' continuing medical education context

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed at creating electronic cases (e-cases) and analyzing their validity as a diagnostic assessment tool within the context of continuing medical education (CME) to measure general practitioners' (GPs) knowledge of common infectious disease. Methods: We designed assessment e-cases in an electronic CME platform. The e-cases were designed to measure GPs' knowledge about diagnosis and treatment of common infectious disease in outpatient settings. The data collected were analyzed for five forms of evidence: content, response process, internal structure, relations with other variables and consequences. Results: A total of 46 GPs participated in the study. Among them, 87 perceived the e-cases as resembling the patients whom they visit in their everyday practice. Although attendance in this activity made 85 of the participants more cautious about prescription of antibiotics, we could not detect any statistically significant association between the assessment scores and the physicians' previous antibiotic prescription. The diagnos- e tic assessment with e-cases was supported by most of the elements of validity evidence, including content, response process, internal structure and consequences. Conclusions: Overall, evidence suggests that using e-cases might be a valid diagnostic assessment CME activity to measure GPs' knowledge of common infectious disease, but more research is necessary.