Modified essay question (MEQs) as tracers for integrated cognitive competencies of sixth-year medical students

Arnuparp Lekhakula, Assoc. Prof., D. of Internal Medicine, F. of Medicine, PSU.
Sukunya Pinaikul, D. of Internal Medicine, F. of Medicine, PSU.

Presented : The 1st Medical Education Academic Meeting of Thailand, 4-5 April 2000, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
Key words : modified essay question (MEQs), medical education, medical students

Objectives : To analyse using MEQs as tracers for integrated cognitive competencies of sixth-year medical students.
Designs : A cross-sectional descriptive study.
Setting : Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University.
Subjects : 109 sixth-year medical students of academic year 1999.
Measurement : MEQs were constructed from 5 common medical problems containing of total item 47. The items were then categorized into 9 cognitive competencies : problem identification, data gathering, data interpretation and hypothesis generation, patient management, clinical reasoning, ethi-cal analysis, patient education, evidence-based medicine, and basic factual knowledge.
Results : The overall Cronbach's reliability coefficient was 0.743 whereas each MEQ reliabi-lity coefficient ranged from 0.415-0.632. The proportions and mean scores' SD of each competency were shown below : 

		Proportions	   Mean scores±SD
		(% of total score)


	Problem identification	     3.2	     72.5±11.4
	Data gathering	                   12.4	   59.0±7.9
	Data interpretation&
	   hypothesis generation       6.4	  46.5±12.9
	Patient management	 33.7	  60.6±7.0
	Clinical reasoning	               8.2	  41.5±10.3
	Ethical analysis	               3.2	  44.3±18.9
	Patient education	               4.2	  37.9±11.0
	Evidence-based medicine       9.9	  41.0±14.9
	Basic factual knowledge        18.8          52.4±9.0
Conclusions : MEQs can be used as reliable tracers for integrated cognitive competencies. Identification of student's weaknesses would help the faculty to improve the quality of teaching and learning activities for better medical graduates.
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