A Team Observed Structured Clinical Encounter (TOSCE) for Pre-Licensure Learners in Maternity Care: A Short Report on the Development of an Assessment Tool for Collaboration

Abstract

Background: Despite the support for Interprofessional Education (IPE) among policymakers, educators and professional regulating bodies, the research literature is limited with respect to the evaluation of effective assessment strategies. This short report outlines the development of a Team Observed Structured Clinical Encounter (TOSCE), which brings together learners from three health professions involved in primary care obstetrics-family physicians, midwives, and obstetricians-as a strategy for assessing collaborative competencies. Methods: An interprofessional research team was brought together to develop and implement the TOSCE. The process by which the team generated TOSCE scenario stations is outlined, including the consensus-building process, based on a modified Delphi technique, to include expert input from others in the field of practice. Findings: The scenarios developed by the research team for the TOSCE are highlighted including the assessment criteria, based on the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative's National Competency Framework. Conclusions: The TOSCE is an emerging and innovative learning tool that encourages the development of essential collaborative competencies. The process of developing a TOSCE outlined in this report offers an affordable, streamlined approach that could be used by educators in many disciplines as a summative or formative assessment strategy.