A Validity Study of a Communication Skills Assessment of Medical Residents

Using multi-faceted Rasch analyses, the author identified several psychometric problems with a Communication and Interpersonal Skills (CIS) Scale - a rating instrument for a communication skills assessment of medical residents. Based on the findings, the author developed a new rating instrument for scoring communication competence of residents - the Revised University of Illinois at Chicago Communication and Interpersonal Skills (RUCIS) Scale. In this book, the author demonstrated how to use multi-faceted Rasch analyses to examine various validity issues related to the use of this RUCIS Scale in a communication skills assessment of medical residents at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The analyses revealed that the RUCIS Scale functioned more effectively than its predecessor in several respects. Medical educators can use this RUCIS Scale, along with its validity evidence provided in this book, to help improve the quality of communication skills assessment and research.