Emergency Structured Clinical Examination Training bOX (ECOX)

September 21, 2026 updated by: Nicolas RIFFET-VIDAL, University Hospital, Angers

Effect of the Training Toolbox in the Emergency Medecine on Medical Students' Performance in the Objective Structured Clinical Examination in France : a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

This study assessed whether a training toolbox called ECOX could help medical students prepare for their objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) during an emergency medicine clerkship. The hypothesis was that adding ECOX to usual training would improve examination performance and reduce examination-related anxiety. Eight 10-week clerkship rotations at Angers University Hospital, France, were randomly assigned to usual training alone or usual training plus ECOX, with four rotations in each group. All students in a rotation received the same assignment. ECOX provided a timer and reference assessment grids for practising seven-minute encounters with real patients who agreed to participate. Students could use the toolbox throughout their clerkship. Both groups completed the same three-station examination at the end of the clerkship. Examiners were unaware of group allocation. Anxiety was assessed at the beginning of the clerkship and immediately before the final examination.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This single-center pragmatic educational trial was conducted in the Emergency Department of Angers University Hospital, France. The clerkship rotation was the unit of randomization and the medical student was the unit of analysis. Eight rotations were allocated in a 1:1 ratio in two fixed blocks of four using a sequence generated by a biostatistician in R (blockrand; seed 15). The medical school assigned students to rotations independently of the research team. The investigator enrolling students knew the allocation sequence.

Usual training included supervised clinical care, bedside teaching, simulation, and formal teaching. ECOX was offered in addition to this curriculum during intervention rotations. Students were introduced to the toolbox at rotation entry, and its use was optional. Use was recorded, but the content, duration, and quality of feedback were not assessed. No patient outcomes were collected.

Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, year of study, and previous OSCE experience. CR2 cluster-robust variance estimation with Satterthwaite degrees of freedom was introduced as a post hoc methodological improvement. Supplementary interaction, intracluster correlation, leave-one-rotation-out, and recorded-use analyses were also exploratory and post hoc.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
310

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • France
      • Angers, France, 49000
        • CHU Angers

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Medical student in the fourth, fifth, or sixth year of study undertaking an emergency medicine clerkship at Angers University Hospital.
  • Aged 18 years or older.
  • Free and informed non-opposition obtained after written and oral information, before enrolment.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Refusal to participate.
  • International exchange student, including ERASMUS students.
  • Student assigned exclusively to on-call duties.
  • Previous enrolment in this study during an earlier emergency medicine rotation.

Analysis population: attendance at the final OSCE was required to measure the primary outcome. Students absent from the final OSCE were excluded from the modified intention-to-treat analysis. For students completing more than one rotation, only the first enrolled rotation was retained.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: ECOX plus usual training

Students assigned by clerkship rotation received the usual emergency medicine curriculum plus access to ECOX throughout the 10-week clerkship. ECOX supported optional, timed practice with consenting real patients, followed by review against reference assessment grids and feedback when an observer was present. Students completed the standard end-of-clerkship OSCE.
Other: ECOX workplace-based training toolbox

Educational intervention added to usual training for one 10-week clerkship. Two boxes, each containing a timer and approximately 30 reference grids based on French national OSCE standards, were available in the emergency department. Students received instructions at rotation entry. After obtaining the patient's verbal agreement, a student performed a seven-minute encounter without prior access to the grid, then reviewed performance against the grid. Sessions could be unobserved, observed by a peer, or supervised by a physician who was not an OSCE examiner. Immediate feedback was expected when an observer was present. Students could repeat exercises as often as they wished, with no mandatory number of sessions. Use was recorded.
No Intervention: Usual training alone

Students assigned by clerkship rotation received the usual emergency medicine curriculum, including supervised clinical care, bedside teaching, simulation, and formal teaching. They could use the usual preparation resources available through the faculty and emergency department. No ECOX toolbox was provided during their rotation. Students completed the same end-of-clerkship OSCE as the intervention group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Overall end-of-clerkship objective structured clinical examination score
Time Frame: At the end of the 10-week clerkship

Each student completed three OSCE stations: history taking, physical examination, and procedural skills. Raw maximum scores were 20, 12, and 16, respectively. Each station score was converted to a 0-20 scale. The overall score was the arithmetic mean of these three converted scores, with a possible range of 0-20. Higher scores indicate better performance. Overall scores were compared between randomized groups.
At the end of the 10-week clerkship

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
State anxiety immediately before the end-of-clerkship OSCE
Time Frame: Immediately before the end-of-clerkship OSCE, at approximately 10 weeks

State anxiety measured with the French State-Trait Anxiety Inventory state subscale (STAI-Y1). The total score ranges from 20 to 80, with higher scores indicating greater state anxiety. Scores immediately before the final OSCE are compared between groups.
Immediately before the end-of-clerkship OSCE, at approximately 10 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Overall professional behavior score at the end-of-clerkship OSCE
Time Frame: At the end of the 10-week clerkship

Examiner-rated professional behavior across the three OSCE stations. Behavior is rated on a 0-2 scale: 0, poor; 1, standard; 2, excellent. The overall professional behavior score is reported on the same 0-2 scale, with higher scores indicating better professional behavior. Scores are compared between groups.
At the end of the 10-week clerkship
History-taking station score at the end-of-clerkship OSCE
Time Frame: At the end of the 10-week clerkship

Score for the history-taking OSCE station. The raw score ranges from 0 to 20 and is reported on a 0-20 scale. Higher scores indicate better performance. Scores are compared between groups.
At the end of the 10-week clerkship
Physical examination station score at the end-of-clerkship OSCE
Time Frame: At the end of the 10-week clerkship

Score for the physical examination OSCE station. The raw score ranges from 0 to 12 and is converted to a 0-20 scale by multiplying by 20/12. Higher scores indicate better performance. Scores are compared between groups.
At the end of the 10-week clerkship
Procedural skills station score at the end-of-clerkship OSCE
Time Frame: At the end of the 10-week clerkship

Score for the procedural skills OSCE station. The raw score ranges from 0 to 16 and is converted to a 0-20 scale by multiplying by 20/16. Higher scores indicate better performance. Scores are compared between groups.
At the end of the 10-week clerkship
Professional behavior score during the history-taking station
Time Frame: At the end of the 10-week clerkship

Examiner-rated professional behavior during the history-taking OSCE station, on a 0-2 scale: 0, poor; 1, standard; 2, excellent. Higher scores indicate better professional behavior. Scores are compared between groups.
At the end of the 10-week clerkship
Professional behavior score during the physical examination station
Time Frame: At the end of the 10-week clerkship

Examiner-rated professional behavior during the physical examination OSCE station, on a 0-2 scale: 0, poor; 1, standard; 2, excellent. Higher scores indicate better professional behavior. Scores are compared between groups.
At the end of the 10-week clerkship
Professional behavior score during the procedural skills station
Time Frame: At the end of the 10-week clerkship

Examiner-rated professional behavior during the procedural skills OSCE station, on a 0-2 scale: 0, poor; 1, standard; 2, excellent. Higher scores indicate better professional behavior. Scores are compared between groups.
At the end of the 10-week clerkship
Change in state anxiety from clerkship entry to the end-of-clerkship OSCE
Time Frame: At clerkship entry and immediately before the end-of-clerkship OSCE, approximately 10 weeks later.

Change in the French State-Trait Anxiety Inventory state subscale (STAI-Y1) score, calculated as the score immediately before the final OSCE minus the score at clerkship entry. Each score ranges from 20 to 80. The change ranges from -60 to +60, with negative values indicating a reduction in anxiety. Changes are compared between groups.
At clerkship entry and immediately before the end-of-clerkship OSCE, approximately 10 weeks later.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University Hospital, Angers

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 7, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 31, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
November 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 3, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 3, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 9, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 24, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 21, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 202300116

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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