Emelyn M. Lee

Department of Anaesthesia, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia.

Background: The overall aim of module 1 in the FANZCA Program is for trainees 'to develop a foundation for the ongoing development of clinical skills and abilities in anaesthesia'. Multiple choice questions (MCQs) are good at testing knowledge and have historically been used for summative assessment, but may also be used for formative assessment. This project consisted of developing a bank of internet-based MCQs for the assessment of module 1.

Methods & Results: A literature search was performed on the types and uses of MCQs as a form of assessment of trainees, and technical construction of MCQs. Expert Fellows and the ANZCA Director of Education were consulted. The Module 1 curriculum was used to compile a list of topics that could be assessed using MCQs. Type-A and -R questions was then constructed, distributed to 35 consultant anaesthetists and 15 senior anaesthetic registrars for review and feedback, modified and converted into a format that was suitable for integration into an internet-based self assessment test (with Questionmark Perception®). This resulted in a final bank of 65 MCQs ready for an online trial for use by trainees as formative assessment for Module 1.

Conclusion: MCQs have the advantages of ease of use, logistical efficiency with wide sampling of topics, rapid marking and provision of timely feedback. Trainees value feedback and on-line assessments provide considerable flexibility in terms of trainee access. This bank of 65 MCQs that has been mapped to the assessment aims of FANZCA module 1 and formatted for online purposes, is a potentially useful tool to guide learning and assessment of novice anaesthesia trainees.

Reference:
Curriculum Modules for Diploma of Fellowship of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.