The Objective Structured Teaching Encounter (OSTE) in health professions education: A systematic review

Abstract

Purpose

New emphasis on the assessment of health professions educators’ teaching competence has led to greater use of the Objective Structured Teaching Encounter (OSTE). The purpose of this study is to review and further describe the current uses and learning outcomes of the OSTE in health professions education.

Materials and methods

PubMed, MEDLINE, and CINAHL (March 2010 to February 2022) were searched for English-language studies describing the use of an OSTE for any educational purpose within health professions education.

Results

Of the 29 articles that met inclusion criteria, over half of the studies (17 of 29, 58.6%) were published during or after 2017. Seven studies described OSTE use outside of the traditional medical education context. These new contexts included basic sciences, dental, pharmacy, and Health Professions Education program graduates. Eleven articles described novel OSTE content, which included leadership skills, emotional intelligence, medical ethics, inter-professional conduct, and a procedural OSTE. There is increasing evidence supporting the use of OSTEs for the assessment of clinical educators’ teaching skills.

Conclusions

The OSTE is a valuable tool for the improvement and assessment of teaching within a variety of health professions education contexts. Further study is required to determine the impact of OSTEs on teaching behaviors in real-life contexts.

Keywords:

• OSCE
• staff development
• simulation
• communication skills
• feedback
• OSTE
• Objective Structured Teaching Encounter

Disclosure statement

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

Glossary

OSTE: Objective Structured Teaching Encounter; tool used to improve and assess teaching skills, usually involving a scenario with an educator and a standardized learner, where the educator subsequently receives immediate feedback on their teaching.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Hannah G. Kay

Hannah G. Kay, MD, MS, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI.

Margaret Rose Mahoney

Margaret Rose Mahoney, BA, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.

Roger A. Edwards

Roger A. Edwards, ScD, Center for Interprofessional Studies and Innovation, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA, USA.