Exploration of a possible relationship between examiner stringency and personality factors in clinical assessments: a pilot study

Background

The reliability of clinical examinations is known to vary considerably. Inter-examiner variability is a key source of this variability. Some examiners consistently give lower scores to some candidates compared to other examiners and vice versa – the ‘hawk- dove’ effect. Stable examiner characteristics, such as personality factors, may influence examiner stringency. We investigated whether examiner stringency is related to personality factors.

Methods

We recruited 12 examiners to view and score a video-recorded five station OSCE of six Year 1 undergraduate medical students at our institution. In addition examiners completed a validated personality questionnaire. Examiners’ markings were tested for statistically significant differences using non-parametric one way analysis of variance. The relationship between examiners’ markings and examiner personality factors was investigated using Spearman correlation coefficient.

Results

At each station there was a statistically significant difference between examiners markings, confirming the presence of inter-examiner variability. Correlation analysis showed no association between stringency and any of the five major personality factors. When we omitted an outlier examiner we found a statistically significant negative correlation between examiner stringency and openness to experience with a correlation coefficients (rho) of – 0.66 (p?=?0.03). Conversely there was a moderate positive correlation between examiner stringency and neuroticism with a correlation coefficient (rho) of 0.73 (p?=?0.01).

Conclusions

In this study we did not find any relationship between examiner stringency and examiner personality factors. However, following the elimination of an outlier examiner from the analysis, we found a significant relationship between examiner stringency and two of the big five personality factors (neuroticism and openness to experience). The significance of this outlier is not known. As this was a small pilot study we recommend further studies in this field to investigate if there is a relationship between examiner stringency in clinical assessments and personality factors.

     

A phase I and pharmacokinetic study of lapatinib in combination with infusional 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and irinotecan.

BACKGROUND: This study determined the optimally tolerated regimen (OTR) of oral lapatinib administered in combination with infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), leucovorin and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) and assessed the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of the combination. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients were enrolled; 12 patients were treated at three dose levels to determine OTR; then 13 patients were treated at OTR to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of the combination. RESULTS: The 2-weekly OTR comprised lapatinib 1250 mg/day with irinotecan 108 mg/m(2) (day 1) and leucovorin 200 mg/m(2), 5-FU bolus 240 mg/m(2) and 5-FU infusion 360 mg/m(2) (days 1 and 2); doses of 5-FU and irinotecan represent a 40% reduction in dose compared to conventional FOLFIRI. Dose-limiting toxicities were grade 3 diarrhoea and grade 4 neutropenia. Co-administration of lapatinib increased the area under the plasma concentration-time curve of SN-38, the active metabolite of irinotecan, by an average of 41%; no other pharmacokinetic interactions were observed. Of 19 patients evaluable for disease response assessment, four patients had partial response and nine patients had stable disease. CONCLUSION: The combination of lapatinib and FOLFIRI is safe and demonstrates clinical activity; the documented PK interaction can effectively be compensated by lowering the doses of 5-FU and irinotecan. This regime may be further tested in a phase II trial.     

Visual impairment in severe and profound sensorineural deafness

The frequency of reversible and irreversible visual impairment was determined in children with severe and profound sensorineural deafness, as subnormal vision can adversely affect their educational and social development. Eighty three of 87 such children attending an audiology service were examined to assess the incidence and severity of visual impairment. Each child underwent a detailed ophthalmic assessment. The criteria for visual impairment were visual acuity < 6/9 Snellen or equivalent and/or abnormal binocular vision. Forty five had a normal ophthalmic examination (54.2%). Twenty nine had visual impairment (34.9%) and nine had ophthalmological abnormalities that did not interfere with vision (10.9%). A higher proportion of children with risk factors for visual pathology demonstrated visual impairment than those in whom there were no risk factors. None the less, 44% of visual impairment was among patients without risk factors. The results underline the need to examine all children with severe and profound sensorineural deafness soon after diagnosis and indicate that children with multiple handicaps have a greater likelihood of visual impairment (11 of 14 cases).     

Pharmacokinetics of cefoxitin in patients at term gestation: lavage versus intravenous administration

Despite the increasing popularity of antibiotic prophylaxis to reduce febrile morbidity in patients who undergo cesarean delivery, little is known of the pharmacokinetics of antibiotics in the patient at term gestation. This study was designed to elucidate the pharmacokinetics of cefoxitin when administered intravenously or by uterine and peritoneal lavage at cesarean section. Significant differences were found in the values for total body clearance area under the serum concentration-time curve (AUC), and K21 of cefoxitin administered intravenously to pregnant patients at term gestation compared to values for these parameters observed in nonpregnant patients. The concentration of cefoxitin in decidual tissue after uterine and peritoneal lavage with the antibiotic was 92.5 +/- 10.1 micrograms/gm (mean +/- SEM), whereas the concentration of cefoxitin in decidual tissue after intravenous administration of the antibiotic was 36.9 +/- 10.5 micrograms/gm (mean +/- SEM). This difference is statistically significant (p less than 0.05). We conclude that the pharmacokinetics of cefoxitin are altered in the pregnant patient as evidenced by the increased rapidity of clearance of the antibiotic (total body clearance for cefoxitin in pregnant patients, 20.41 L/hr). Moreover, uterine and peritoneal lavage results in significant tissue concentrations of antibiotic, which is of potential importance since the decidua is a presumed site of initiation of bacterial infection after cesarean section.     

Testing a model of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in military women with children

The purpose of this study was to test a model of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in military women and their children. The convenience sample consisted of 238 women, 81 smokers and 157 nonsmokers, with a mean age of 37 years (SD = 9.9). Participants were either on active duty or were reservists and/or military dependents. Model constructs, some of which were adapted from the transtheoretical model of behavior change, measured personal and situational factors, pros and cons of ETS exposure, self-efficacy to resist ETS, mother's expectation for child's ETS exposure, and mother's self-efficacy to reduce child's ETS exposure. The mediating variable was the mother's daily ETS exposure, and the outcome variable was the child's daily ETS exposure. The trimmed model showed that 32% of the variance in mother's daily exposure (mediating variable) was accounted for by living with a smoker, having high ETS "pros" (as opposed to ETS "cons"), having less self-efficacy to resist ETS, and having greater self-efficacy to reduce the child's exposure. There was a significant, positive relationship (r = 0.51, p = 0.01) between the mother's and child's daily ETS exposure (outcome variable).