Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to validate the Spanish version of the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) to be used in an Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE) to assess communication skills. Methods: Data were collected from standardized patients evaluating 125 recent medical school graduates during a 12-station OSCE. A total of 1,500 completed CAT instruments were analyzed. Exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis were performed and tested the internal consistency of the tool. Results: We found a single factor solution in the Spanish version of the instrument, similar to that described by the original author. Cronbach's alpha was high, ranging from 0.93 to 0.97. The overall mean percentage of ‘excellent’ ratings for the recent graduates was 38.07%. Conclusions: The Spanish version of CAT is a feasible tool to be used in OSCE by standardized patients to assess communication skills in a standardized manner.