CONSULTATION COMPETENCE IN GENERAL-PRACTICE - ESTABLISHING THE FACE VALIDITY OF PRIORITIZED CRITERIA IN THE LEICESTER ASSESSMENT PACKAGE

Aim. This study set out to test the face validity of prioritized crite ria of consultation competence in general practice as contained in the Leicester assessment package. Method. A questionnaire was sent to a g eographically stratified random sample of 100 members of the United Ki ngdom Association of Course Organisers to seek their views on the cate gories, components and weightings contained in the Leicester assessmen t package and to determine the proportion of respondents who rejected or suggested a new category, component or weighting or reallocated com ponents to other categories or amended weightings. Their views were so ught on a six-point scale (strongly approve, approve, tend to approve, tend to disapprove, disapprove and strongly disapprove). Results. The re was a 73% response rate. Of the respondents 99% either strongly app roved or approved of the overall set of categories of consultation com petence. Only two respondents (3%) expressed any disapproval of indivi dual categories. Thirty five of the 39 suggested components of consult ation competence were supported by more than 80% of respondents. There was minimal support for excluding any categories or components of con sultation competence, for moving any components to different categorie s or for the inclusion of new categories or components. Eighty eight p er cent of respondents were in favour of the need to identify prioriti es between any agreed categories of consultation competence and 79% ex pressed approval of the suggested weightings. Although 42% of responde nts indicated a wish for some alteration in weightings, the mean value s for all consultation categories suggested by all respondents were al most identical to the original weightings in the Leicester package. Co nclusion. The face validity of the categories and components of consul tation competence contained in the Leicester assessment package has be en established, and the suggested weightings of consultation categorie s have been validated. Consequently, the criteria contained in the Lei cester package can be adopted with confidence as measures against whic h performance can be judged in formative or summative assessment of co nsultation performance in general practice.