Development and Validation of an Instrument to Evaluate General Competences in Health Area Courses

Abstract

The evaluation of the General Competencies in undergraduate courses in the healthcare area remains challenging. Objectives To develop an instrument for supporting teaching staff in evaluating the General Competencies of undergraduate students in the healthcare area; to test the reliability of the instrument with teachers and students of the same working field; validate the instrument of General Competencies, directed to teachers and students from the health area. Methods the present was a Methodological study, approved by REC N. 826.770. The validation of the construct, criterion and content based on the National Curricular Guidelines (NCG), and the search for a theoretical framework were performed, as well as statistical tests such as alpha Cronbach, t Test, p-value, Factorial Analysis, Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient and Akaike Information Criterion, which also ensured the reliability. The study was performed in a Higher Education Institution in Curitiba/PR, in the courses of Nursing, Biomedical Sciences, Pharmacy, Psychology and Medicine. The study population consisted of 50 evaluations of students and 50 of teachers, covering all the periods and courses during the second half of 2014. Results it was possible to create one model with three versions of instruments that evaluated the general competencies for the healthcare area courses. One of these was directed towards the general competencies of 10 courses in the healthcare area, subdivided in Health Care, Decision-making, Communication, Leadership, Administration and Management and Continuing Education, with one instrument directed at the student and another ‘mirror’ at the professor. The second and third versions had three dimensions: Health Care, Management in Healthcare and Education in Health, directed towards the general competencies of the new structure of the NCG of the medical course. The three versions also had an instrument for teachers and a mirror one for students. Conclusion To validate the instrument on General Competencies, directed to teachers and undergraduate students of health area courses, the theoretical search, the NCG and the experts’ evaluation were used for Content Validity; the t Test, Chi-square Test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used for Criterion Validation; statistical tests of exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis and the AIC were used for Construct Validity; and Cronbach’s alpha and the AIC were used for Content validity, using the same steps described for the first goal, to ensure the reliability of the instruments. After this process three versions of the instrument were developed, the first two to be used with teachers and with teachers and students together; and the third version is adequate to be used with students or teachers; and also, for teachers and students together. However, it can be used by all health courses studied.