FonoTCS: validation of a tool for assessing clinical reasoning in Speech-Language pathology.
Ana Cristina Côrtes Gama, Roberto da Costa Quinino, Adriane Mesquita Medeiros and 5 others
PMID 40197958WHAT IT FOUND
The FonoTCS test reliably measures clinical reasoning in speech therapy.
It consistently scores students and specialists, helping educators distinguish between novice and expert decision-making in uncertain cases.
Key findings
01The final version of the FonoTCS test showed strong agreement among its items, indicating it reliably measures the same construct.
02The test successfully distinguished between experienced specialists and students, with specialists scoring higher and with less variation.
03The test was refined by removing items that did not correlate well with overall performance and specialists whose answers deviated significantly from the group mode.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study focused on generalist training in Brazilian Portuguese, so results may not apply to other languages or specialized contexts. Developing script concordance tests requires significant resources and expert panels. The aggregate scoring method can introduce subjectivity if specialist responses vary widely.
Declared interests
Funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies (IEAT) at UFMG.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the test is ready for immediate clinical use with patients. It is currently validated for educational assessment of reasoning skills in students and young professionals, not for diagnosing or treating patients.