• Romain E Kania, Benjamin Verillaud, Hugo Tran, Robert Gagnon, Driss Kazitani, Patrice Tran Ba Huy, Philippe Herman, and Bernard Charlin.
• University Paris 5 Paris, Descartes, Paris, France. romain.kania@lrb.aphp.fr
• Arch. Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg. 2011 Aug 1;137(8):751-5.

ObjectiveTo report on the creation and administration of an online Script Concordance Test (SCT) for ear, nose, and throat (ENT), the ENT-SCT.DesignProspective study.SettingTwo tertiary care university centers.ParticipantsIn total, 132 individuals were asked to test an ENT-SCT of 20 cases and 94 questions based on the major educational objectives of the ENT residency program.Main Outcome MeasuresThree levels of experience were tested: medical students, ENT residents, and board-certified otorhinolaryngologists as the expert panel. The test's construct validity-whether scores were related to clinical experience-was statistically analyzed. Reliability was estimated by the Cronbach α internal consistency coefficient. Participants' perception of the test was assessed with the use of a questionnaire.ResultsThe 65 respondents with usable data were medical students (n = 21), ENT residents (n = 22), and experts (n = 22). Total mean (SD) test scores differed significantly: 76.81 (3.31) for the expert panel, 69.05 (4.35) for residents, and 58.29 (5.86) for students. The Cronbach α coefficient was 0.95. More than two-thirds of the participants found the test to be realistic and relevant for assessing clinical reasoning. The test was also considered fun, interesting, and intuitive.ConclusionsThe Web-based ENT-SCT is feasible, reliable, and useful for assessing clinical reasoning. This online assessment tool may have applications for residency programs and continuing medical education.

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