Background and Aims: Clinical evaluation of students by the direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS) in the practical and real situations ensures their capabilities in facing and predicting the clinical situations in case of particular patient’s conditions. The present research is conducted to determine and compare the efficacy of DOPS with traditional methods in clinical skill learning of students working in intensive care unit (ICU).Methods: This trial work was performed in 2016 in ICU of one training hospitals of Tehran on 15 nursing students who were in the middle of their internship course. The students were randomly divided into two control (25 members) and test (26 members) groups. The evaluation in the control group was conducted based on the traditional approach and for the test group (intervention group) was implemented with DOPS method, based on a reliability and validity confirmed checklist prepared by the author. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, cosmograph-Smirnov, chi-square (c2), and independent t statistics in SPSS16 software.Results: A significant difference was obtained between the final score of these test and control groups in terms of the studied parameters (Arterial Blood Gas, p=0.001, and central venous pressure, p=0.004). The final scores were not statistically significant in terms of marital status and gender of the participants. However, the Pearson’s correlation coefficient indicated a positive meaningful (p<0.017, r=0.32) relationship between the final scores of the participants with their previous semester average scores.Conclusion: Since using DOPS leads to an improved learning of students, it is recommended replacing the traditional evaluation methods with this method or, at least, implement this new approach as a supplementary method for student evaluation.

Background: To evaluate the validity and reliability of assessing the performance of nursing students using the Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS).Materials and Method: This research was conducted on 55 nursing internship students in 8 procedures. A DOPS consisted of an assessor observing a student when performing skills, completing a checklist with the student and providing verbal feedback. The procedures were selected among the core skills of nursing according to the views of faculty members. Content validity, criterion validity (correlation the average scores of nursing clinical and theoretical courses separately with DOPS score, relation of each item with DOPS), construct validity (inspection of internal construction), reliability (examination of internal consistency, inter-rater reliability) were examined.Results: Correlation of DOPS scores with the theoretical and clinical average scores were 0.117 (p=0.429) and 0.376 (p=0.008) respectively. There has been a significant relation between each skill and DOPS total score (p=0.001) that indicates a desired internal construction of the exercise. The reliability of the exercise was measured as 94% by Cronbach alpha coefficient. Minimum and maximum correlation coefficient in the inter-rater reliability were 42% and 84% respectively which were significant in all cases (p=0.001).Conclusion: In conclusion, our results showed that DOPS has the validity and reliability for objective evaluation of procedural skills in nursing.

Background: Direct observation is a method for objective assessment of practical skills and giving feedback to the students.This study investigated the reliability and validity testing direct observation of practical skills in the assessment of midwifery students’ clinical skills.Material and Method: In this cross-sectional study, participants included 44 midwifery students Internship of Kashan University Medical Sciences selected through census sampling method. Based on faculty members of Guilan, Kashan and Zahedan universities’ opinions foure midwifery skills choosed among the basice clinical skills and prepared related check list. Students were obzerved over the procedure in a real work environment by the experimenter and recorded the results according to the check list and objective feedback was given to the students. Content validity-criterion validity (correlation between mean score of clinical and theoretical courses of midwifery and dops-Each item relationship with dops each skill)-validity (internal structure), reliability (internal consistency determination-rater reliability) was analyzed using the SPSS software.Result: Dops test content validity index and content validity ratio were reported over 0.75% and 0.50%, respectively.Dops scores correlated with theoretical, 0.071 (p=0.647) and clinical 0.093 (p=0.548).The dops significantly correlated with the total score of each skill expressing the desired internal validity (p<0.001). Reliability test was measured using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.814). the Minimum and maximum values of the correlation coefficient of interrater reliability were 0.97 and 0.99, respectivelywhich were significant in all cases (p<0.001).Students’ satisfaction was rated from satisfay to very satisfy with 78.2 percent.Conclusion: According to the results of tha study, dops has suitable validity and reliability to use for objective evaluation of onstetrical skills.

Background: Nursing student's skills evaluation plays a vital role in their professional education، but unfortunately; the quality of many evaluation methods is less than optimal. Therefore، this study was conducted to determine the effect of evaluation by using Direct Observation of Clinical Skills (DOPS) and traditional methods on nursing students' clinical skills in 2016. Methods: In a quasi-experimental study، 108 senior nursing students were selected and then randomly assigned into two groups of case and control. In the case group was evaluated the skills related to dressing، intra-vein catheterization and suction by DOPS method and in the control group these skills was evaluated by traditional method. Finally، the skills in the two groups were checked by checklist and data were analyzed by using SPSS16 software، descriptive and inferential statistics، Chi-square، independent t-test، Pearson correlation and ANOVA. Results: Independent T-test showed a significant difference in the mean score of dressing، intra-vein catheterization and suction skills between case and control groups (p<0. 001). Also the results showed a significant increase in those skills in the third stage of assessment in the case group، which showed a statistically significant in ANOVA (p<0. 001). Conclusion: Regarding the improvement of clinical skills in case group's students، it is suggested that the DOPS evaluation method as a high-performance، objective، validated method is used for assessing clinical skills and evaluating the learning of nursing students as well as accepting responsibility professionals in medical sciences.

Introduction: Since the efficiency, accuracy and students satisfaction as an assessment tool in clinical skills is very important, we consider medical students' opinions about direct observed procedural skills (DOPS) as one of the most common methods of assessing clinical skills.Methods: this is a descriptive, cross- sectional study, to assess interns comments & satisfaction rate of clinical skills assessment method (DOPS) at the end of orthopedic course, a researcher made questionnaire consists of 14 questions in three domains: scientific concept, Test performance & test method was used. Content validity & reliability of questionnaire was confirmed by CVI=95%, a=0.8, respectively. Results were analyzed SPSS software.Results: 37.1% of students agreed that the test with DOPS method is suitable for clinical skills assessment. Also, 37.2% of students believed that clinical skills assessment DOPS cause stress. Most satisfaction percentile related to interns orientation about performing DOPS evaluation (57.2%), and minimum percentile related to devoting time for each procedure (40%) and non- compliance of patients with students during required procedures in test.Conclusion: Results of this study confirm the suitability of DOPS instrument for assessing clinical skills students as well as paying more attention in selecting the test procedures.

Introduction: Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) is a valuable method in evaluation of clinical procedures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of this evaluation method from the restorative dentistry students' point of view in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on the students of restorative dentistry in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, where 110 students were enrolled. "Direct Observation of Procedural Skills" was designed in accordance with the objectives of restorative department and executed. An unstructured interview with 12 students was done to develop a valid questionnaire for the evaluation method used. All of the 4th and 5th grade students were asked to fill the questionnaire. The data were reported with descriptive statistics.Results: Seventy one percent (71%) of the students recommended this method be continued because of its positive effect on their independency and learning. Seventy six percent (76%) mentioned that this method failed to improve inter-rater reliability between the teachers. Eighty five percent (85%) believed that students should not fail the course upon failure to meet requirements for a standard treatment. It was also mentioned that it is preferred for formative rather than summative assessments.Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study it can be concluded that DOPS is a suitable formative assessment method for restorative dentistry in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.

Introduction: Given the importance of nursing education and evaluation and the need to make correct decisions in critical situations by students also to promote critical thinking in nursing students, researcher decided to assess efficacy of clinical evaluation by two methods of direct observation of procedural skills and portfolio on critical thinking of students. Methods: in this interventional study 32 Students of the 5th semester of the Bachelor of Nursing, Khomein College of Nursing which divided into two groups with pre-test & post-test participated in 2013. At the beginning, critical thinking disposition questionnaire ( CTDI) was completed by students. Then, Class was divided into two groups randomly. In each group, one of the evaluation methods containing Portfolio and Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) was executed. At last critical thinking disposition questionnaire again was completed and results were evaluated. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and independent t-test through SPSS. Results: The results showed that the total score of tendency to critical thinking in the portfolio group was as follow: before the evaluation method (240. 97± 21. 25) and after the evaluation method (266. 50± 21/32), also, in the direct observation skill group before evaluation (242/17± 20/85) and after evaluation was (248/17± 18/24). There are statistically significant differences between the two groups and in the portfolio evaluation group this difference was greater (P≤ 0/001). This difference is also significant in all subgroups of truth-seeking, critique, analytical power, organizational power, self-confidence, search, and growth. (P =0/001). Conclusion: According to the results of the study, tendency to critical thinking in portfolio method shows significantly different so, it is suggested portfolio with high executive capabilities, identical and valid method in critical thinking of nursing students as well as acceptance of professional responsibility in medical sciences is used.