Performance assessment: Consensus statement and recommendations from the 2020 Ottawa Conference

Abstract

Introduction

In 2011 the Consensus Statement on Performance Assessment was published in Medical Teacher. That paper was commissioned by AMEE (Association for Medical Education in Europe) as part of the series of Consensus Statements following the 2010 Ottawa Conference. In 2019, it was recommended that a working group be reconvened to review and consider developments in performance assessment since the 2011 publication.

Methods

Following review of the original recommendations in the 2011 paper and shifts in the field across the past 10 years, the group identified areas of consensus and yet to be resolved issues for performance assessment.

Results and discussion

This paper addresses developments in performance assessment since 2011, reiterates relevant aspects of the 2011 paper, and summarises contemporary best practice recommendations for OSCEs and WBAs, fit-for-purpose methods for performance assessment in the health professions.

Keywords:

• Performance assessment
• assessment
• OSCE
• WBA
• Ottawa consensus
• validity

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the following people who kindly advised our Performance Assessment Consensus Group on the drafting of this paper: John Norcini, FAIMER, USA; Trudie Roberts, Leeds University, UK; Dave Swanson, ABMS, USA; Claire Touchie, University of Ottawa, Canada and Cees van der Vleuten, University of Maastricht, Netherlands.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Katharine Boursicot

Katharine Boursicot, BSc, MBBS, MRCOG, MAHPE, NTF, SFHEA, FRSM, is Head of the Department of Assessment and Progression at Duke-NUS, Singapore. She led the Performance Assessment Consensus Group at the 2010 Ottawa Conference as well as the 2020 Group and was the main author on this Consensus Statement.

Sandra Kemp

Sandra Kemp, BMHS(Ed), MA, PhD, is Professor of Medical Education and Director of Learning and Teaching at Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, Australia. She was the main co-author on this Consensus Statement.

Tim Wilkinson

Tim Wilkinson, MBChB, MD, PhD, MClinED, FRACP, FRCP, FANZAHPE, is Professor of Medicine and Director of University of Otago MBChB Programme, New Zealand.

Ardi Findyartini

Ardi Findyartini, MD, PhD, is Head of the Department of Medical Education, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Claire Canning

Claire Canning, BSc, MSc, PhD, PGCert MedED, is Deputy Head of the Department of Assessment and Progression at Duke-NUS, Singapore.

Francois Cilliers

Francois Cilliers, MBChB, BSc, MPhil, PhD is Director of the Department of Health Sciences Education, University of Cape Town Cape Town, South Africa.

Richard Fuller

Richard Fuller, MA, MBChB, FRCP, FAcadMed, is a Geriatrician/Stroke Physician, Professor of Medical Education and Deputy Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.