Nikki Milne

Do coursework summative assessments predict clinical performance? A systematic review

BackgroundTwo goals of summative assessment in health profession education programs are to ensure the robustness of high stakes decisions such as progression and licensing, and predict future performance. This systematic and critical review aims to investigate the ability of specific modes of summative assessment to predict the clinical performance of health profession education students.MethodsPubMed, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, ERIC and EMBASE databases were searched using key terms with articles collected subjected to dedicated inclusion criteria. Rigorous exclusion criteria were applied to ensure a consistent interpretation of ‘summative assessment’ and ‘clinical performance’. Data were extracted using a pre-determined format and papers were critically appraised by two independent reviewers using a modified Downs and Black checklist with level of agreement between reviewers determined through a Kappa analysis.ResultsOf the 4783 studies retrieved from the search strategy, 18 studies were included in the final review. Twelve were from the medical profession and there was one from each of physiotherapy, pharmacy, dietetics, speech pathology, dentistry and dental hygiene. Objective Structured Clinical Examinations featured in 15 papers, written assessments in four and problem based learning evaluations, case based learning evaluations and student portfolios each featured in one paper. Sixteen different measures of clinical performance were used. Two papers were identified as ‘poor’ quality and the remainder categorised as ‘fair’ with an almost perfect (k = 0.852) level of agreement between raters. Objective Structured Clinical Examination scores accounted for 1.4–39.7% of the variance in student performance; multiple choice/extended matching questions and short answer written examinations accounted for 3.2–29.2%; problem based or case based learning evaluations accounted for 4.4–16.6%; and student portfolios accounted for 12.1%.ConclusionsObjective structured clinical examinations and written examinations consisting of multiple choice/extended matching questions and short answer questions do have significant relationships with the clinical performance of health professional students. However, caution should be applied if using these assessments as predictive measures for clinical performance due to a small body of evidence and large variations in the predictive strength of the relationships identified. Based on the current evidence, the Objective Structured Clinical Examination may be the most appropriate summative assessment for educators to use to identify students that may be at risk of poor performance in a clinical workplace environment. Further research on this topic is needed to improve the strength of the predictive relationship.

Physical activity and childhood academic achievement: a critical review

OBJECTIVES: Physical activity is thought to have a positive effect on a childs brain and their ability to learn. This review critically examines literature investigating physical activity and its effects on academic achievement. METHODS: Databases, search terms and reference lists were utilized to identify appropriate studies. Relevant studies were evaluated using the Downs and Black checklist. Inter-rater agreement was determined by Krippendorffs alpha. RESULTS: Ten research studies (mean score of 74%: KAlpha=0.86), including children aged from 6-12 years were retained for evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: The review identified that physical activity, delivered in different physical modalities, both during and out of school hours had a favorable effect on academic achievement and cognitive functioning and performance. Language: en

Physical Properties of Blood Are Altered in Young and Lean Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Classic features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) include derangement of metabolic and cardiovascular health, and vascular dysfunction is commonly reported. These comorbidities indicate impaired blood flow; however, other than limited reports of increased plasma viscosity, surprisingly little is known regarding the physical properties of blood in PCOS. We aimed to investigate whether haemorheology was impaired in women with PCOS. We thus measured a comprehensive haemorheological profile, in a case-control design, of lean women with PCOS and age-matched healthy controls. A clinical examination determined similar cardiovascular risk for the two groups. Whole blood and plasma viscosity was measured using a cone-plate viscometer. The magnitude and rate of red blood cell (RBC) aggregation was determined using a light-transmission aggregometer, and the degree of RBC deformability was measured via laser-diffraction ektacytometry. Plasma viscosity was significantly increased in women with PCOS. Blood viscosity was also increased for PCOS at lower-to-moderate shear rates in both native and standardised haematocrit samples. The magnitude of RBC aggregation–a primary determinant of low-shear blood viscosity–was significantly increased in PCOS at native and 0.4 L·L-1 haematocrit. No difference was detected between PCOS and CON groups for RBC deformability measurements. A novel measure indicating the effectiveness of oxygen transport by RBC (i.e., the haematocrit-to-viscosity ratio; HVR) was decreased at all shear rates in women with PCOS. In a group of young and lean women with PCOS with an unremarkable cardiovascular risk profile based on clinical data, significant haemorheological impairment was observed. The degree of haemorheological derangement observed in the present study reflects that of overt chronic disease, and provides an avenue for future therapeutic intervention in PCOS.

A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study to Examine the Criterion Validity of the Modified Shuttle Test-Paeds as a Measure of Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Children

With accumulating evidence that exercise capacity decreases all-cause mortality independent of adiposity, benefits may be gained by developing cardiorespiratory fitness measures that are specifically and sensitively designed for use with pediatric populations when cardiorespiratory fitness may be a contributing factor for obesity. This study aimed to examine the criterion validity of the Modified Shuttle Test-Paeds (MSTP) as a measure of cardiorespiratory fitness in children, against the gold-standard reference; VO2peak, compared to the commonly used field-test; 20-m Multi-Stage-Shuttle-Run-Test (20-m MSRT). A cross-sectional pilot study, with 25 school-aged children (age: 6–16 year; male/female: 19/5; BMI: 21 ± 9 kg/m2) was employed. Physical measures included: Bruininks-Oseretsky-Test-of-Motor-Proficiency-2nd Edition (BOT2), VO2peak, 20-m MSRT, MSTP, body composition/anthropometry. The mean cardiorespiratory fitness of participants was: VO2peak: 43.8 ± 11.2 (mL/kg/min); 20-m MSRT: 5.48 ± 2.96 (level); MSTP: 22.10 ± 3.05 (no.). A strong predictive relationship was found between the 20-m MSRT and VO2peak (r2 = 0.486, p < 0.001) whereas a very strong predictive relationship existed between the newly designed MSTP and VO2peak (r2 = 0.749, p < 0.001). Whilst further research with larger study cohorts is needed, this pilot study found the MSTP to have a very high predictive validity for estimating VO2peak in children, suggesting it may be a valid child-specific indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness requiring only a simple equation that is clinically relevant.

Relationships between Motor Proficiency and Academic Performance in Mathematics and Reading in School-Aged Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Positive associations exist between physical activity, cognition, and academic performance in children and adolescents. Further research is required to examine which factors underpin the relationships between physical activity and academic performance. This systematic review aimed to identify, critically appraise, and synthesize findings of studies examining relationships between motor proficiency and academic performance in mathematics and reading in typically developing school-aged children and adolescents. A systematic search of electronic databases was performed to identify relevant studies. Fifty-five eligible articles were critically appraised and key data was extracted and synthesized. Findings support associations between several components of motor proficiency and academic performance in mathematics and reading. There was evidence that fine motor proficiency was significantly and positively associated with academic performance in mathematics and reading, particularly during the early years of school. Significant positive associations were also evident between academic performance and components of gross motor proficiency, specifically speed and agility, upper-limb coordination, and total gross motor scores. Preliminary evidence from a small number of experimental studies suggests motor skill interventions in primary school settings may have a positive impact on academic performance in mathematics and/or reading. Future research should include more robust study designs to explore more extensively the impact of motor skill interventions on academic performance.

The relationship between children's motor proficiency and health-related fitness

The overall purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between motor proficiency and health‐related fitness in children. In addition, the study aimed to determine if particular combinations of motor skills have a stronger relationship with individual health‐related fitness measures.