Mini-CEX in the evaluation of clinical skills in medical graduation

Abstract

Introduction. Assessment methods of clinical skills in medicine are important for the analysis of students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes. Among these methods, the Mini Clinical Evaluation Exercise (mini-CEX) has been highlighted for evaluating the student in real practice environment, in addition to providing immediate feedback. Objective. To conduct a systematic review of the literature of the application of Mini Clinical Evaluation Exercise instrument in medical school graduation. Methods. Eric, Pubmed and Science Direct were searched. Through two differents search strategies: Search A, with publications from 2011 to 2016, and Search B, with publications from 2006 to 2016, including articles with mini-CEX as an instrument for evaluating clinical skills in medical students. General characteristics of the studies, the use of the mini-CEX in medical graduation and the evaluated abilities were examined. Results. Of the 140 studies identified, 3 met the inclusion criteria. The studies evaluated clinical skills of medical students using mini-CEX, from the following: communication skills, personal and professional behavior, humanization, clinical judgement, counseling skills, organization and efficiency and overall clinical care. Among these skills, history taking, physical examination and the communication skills are best evaluated by mini-CEX when compared to other skills assessment methods. Finally, competences such as personal and professional behaviours obtained the highest overall scores. Conclusions. The mini-CEX is an effective tool, easy to apply and reliable on the evaluation of clinical skills of the medical academics.