Direct Observation

BASICS

• Definition: the process of observing a learner (e.g., student, resident) during an actual patient encounter for the purpose of assessing clinical skills and giving feedback after
• Aim: to help preceptors gather accurate information about a learner’s performance in real-life clinical scenarios
• Assessment: areas of communication skills, history taking, physical exam techniques, information giving, procedural skills, professionalism, all focused on competency-based assessment
• Direct observation: supports assessment of “does” at the top of Miller’s pyramid for assessing clinical competence rather than simply “show how” or “know how”