Validation of a clinical assessment tool for spinal anaesthesia

BACKGROUND: There is a need for a procedure-specific means of assessment of clinical performance in anaesthesia. The aim of this study was to devise a tool for assessing the performance of spinal anaesthesia, which has both content and construct validity. METHODS: The clinical assessment tool was generated using a focus group discussion of practicing anaesthetists. The tool comprised three components: a checklist of 11 pre-defined errors, two time intervals and a six-item global rating scale (GRS). Thirty-one anaesthetists at three different levels of experience underwent testing using the clinical assessment tool: novice (n=10), intermediate (n=10) and expert (n=11). RESULTS: The error checklist and GRS scores but not the time intervals were significantly different between the three groups (P<0.005). CONCLUSION: The error checklist and GRS form the basis for a procedure-specific assessment tool for spinal anaesthesia.