Assessing the reliability of the borderline regression method as a standard setting procedure for objective structured clinical examination

BACKGROUND: One of the methods used for standard setting is the borderline regression method (BRM). This study aims to assess the reliability of BRM when the pass-fail standard in an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) was calculated by averaging the BRM standards obtained for each station separately. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In nine stations of the OSCE with direct observation the examiners gave each student a checklist score and a global score. Using a linear regression model for each station, we calculated the checklist score cut-off on the regression equation for the global scale cut-off set at 2. The OSCE pass-fail standard was defined as the average of all station's standard. To determine the reliability, the root mean square error (RMSE) was calculated. The R(2) coefficient and the inter-grade discrimination were calculated to assess the quality of OSCE. RESULTS: The mean total test score was 60.78. The OSCE pass-fail standard and its RMSE were 47.37 and 0.55, respectively. The R(2) coefficients ranged from 0.44 to 0.79. The inter-grade discrimination score varied greatly among stations. CONCLUSION: The RMSE of the standard was very small indicating that BRM is a reliable method of setting standard for OSCE, which has the advantage of providing data for quality assurance.