Anesthesiology
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Simulations have taken a central role in the education and assessment of medical students, residents, and practicing physicians. The introduction of simulation-based assessments in anesthesiology, especially those used to establish various competencies, has demanded fairly rigorous studies concerning the psychometric properties of the scores. Most important, major efforts have been directed at identifying, and addressing, potential threats to the validity of simulation-based assessment scores. ⋯ For simulations used in anesthesiology, studies that describe advances in scenario development, the development of scoring rubrics, and the validation of assessment results are synthesized. Based on the summary of relevant research, psychometric requirements for practical implementation of simulation-based assessments in anesthesiology are forwarded. As technology expands, and simulation-based education and evaluation takes on a larger role in patient safety initiatives, the groundbreaking work conducted to date can serve as a model for those individuals and organizations that are responsible for developing, scoring, or validating simulation-based education and assessment programs in anesthesiology.
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A biomarker may provide a diagnosis, assess disease severity or risk, or guide other clinical interventions such as the use of drugs. Although considerable progress has been made in standardizing the methodology and reporting of randomized trials, less has been accomplished concerning the assessment of biomarkers. ⋯ A host of issues are discussed that can improve the statistical evaluation and reporting of biomarker studies. Investigators should be aware of these issues when designing their studies, editors and reviewers when analyzing a manuscript, and readers when interpreting results.