Table 3.
Correlation of number of times performing selected procedures and level of confidence among finalist (7th year) students at the University of Zambia, School of Medicine
| Practical skill | Confidence level | Never performed | Performed once | Performed ≥2 times | Correlation (rho) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasogastric tube insertion n=51 | Not confident | 8 (100) | 2 (14.3) | 0 | 0.818 | <0.001* |
| Fairly confident | 0 | 11 (78.6) | 7 (24.1) | |||
| Very confident | 0 | 1 (7.1) | 22 (75.9) | |||
| Endotracheal intubation n=49 | Not confident | 15 (79.0) | 2 (11.1) | 0 | 0.757 | <0.001* |
| Fairly confident | 4 (21.0) | 14 (77.8) | 6 (50.0) | |||
| Very confident | 0 | 2 (11.1) | 6 (50.0) | |||
| Suturing n=51 | Not confident | 8 (80.0) | 4 (23.5) | 0 (0) | 0.742 | <0.001* |
| Fairly confident | 2 (20.0) | 12 (70.6) | 10 (41.7) | |||
| Very confident | 1 (5.9) | 14 (58.3) | ||||
| Bladder catheterization n=52 | Not confident | 1 (100) | 1 (25.0) | 1 (2.1) | 0.721 | <0.001* |
| Fairly confident | 0 | 3 (75.0) | 3 (6.4) | |||
| Very confident | 0 | 0 | 43 (91.5) | |||
| Lumbar puncture n=49 | Not confident | 2 (40.0) | 5 (29.4) | 0 | 0.637 | <0.001* |
| Fairly confident | 2 (40.0) | 11 (64.7) | 8 (29.6) | |||
| Very confident | 1 (20.0) | 1 (5.9) | 19 (70.4) | |||
| Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation n=51 | Not confident | 5 (45.5) | 5 (22.7) | 0 | 0.578 | <0.001* |
| Fairly confident | 6 (54.5) | 15 (68.2) | 9 (50.0) | |||
| Very confident | 0 | 2 (9.1) | 9 (50.0) | |||
| Advanced Cardiac Life Support n=48 | Not confident | 23 (63.9) | 1 (20.0) | 1 (14.3) | 0.542 | <0.001* |
| Fairly confident | 13 (36.1) | 4 (80.0) | 1 (14.3) | |||
| Very confident | 0 | 0 | 5 (71.4) | |||
| Examining the new-born n=53 | Not confident | 0 | 1 (20.0) | 1 (2.1) | 0.421 | 0.002* |
| Fairly confident | 0 | 4 (80.0) | 15 (31.3) | |||
| Very confident | 0 | 0 | 32 (66.7) | |||
| Abdominal paracentesis n=52 | Not confident | 2 (66.7) | 0 | 1 (2.6) | 0.357 | 0.009* |
| Fairly confident | 0 | 6 (60.0) | 9 (23.1) | |||
| Very confident | 1 (33.3) | 4 (40.0) | 29 (74.4) | |||
| Use of a defibrillator n=49 | Not confident | 39 (84.8) | 1 (50.0) | 1 (100.0) | 0.113 | 0.440 |
| Fairly confident | 7 (15.2) | 1 (50.0) | 0 | |||
| Very confident | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Vein puncture and cannulation n=52 | Not confident | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.058 | 0.684 |
| Fairly confident | 0 | 0 | 4 (8.0) | |||
| Very confident | 0 | 2 (100) | 46 (92.0) |
() indicates column percentage for particular skill.
Correlation coefficients and p values are based on Spearman's test of correlation for level of exposure (3-point Likert scale) vs. confidence (3 point Likert scale)