Alaz ARABACI, Erdem MENGI, Cüneyt Orhan KARA
Turkish Archives of Otorhinolaryngology - 2026;64(1):6-10
Objective: To develop an assessment tool for evaluating the ability of otorhinolaryngology (ORL) residents to perform rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry (R-AR), and therewith to assess their learning processes in acquiring R-AR skills. Methods: Firstly, a "procedural skill rating scale (PSRS)" was designed for the assessment process. The R-AR performances of 10 residents, each performing 20 procedures, were observed and scored using the PSRS. The correlation between the increase in the number of procedures performed, the improvement in scores, and the reduction in procedure duration was studied. Interrater reliability was evaluated independently by two raters using 20 R-AR procedures. Cronbach's alpha was calculated for reliability. Results: The correlation between the number of procedures performed and the increase in scores was r=0.911 (p<0.001) for rhinomanometry-PSRS and r=0.832 (p<0.001) for acoustic rhinometry-PSRS. Mean procedure duration was 2.11+/-0.39 minutes (min: 1.17, max: 3.95) for rhinomanometry and 1.55+/-0.34 minutes (min: 1.07, max: 3.19) for acoustic rhinometry. The correlation between the increase in the number of procedures performed and the reduction in duration was r=-0.937 (p<0.001). Interrater reliability was r=0.788 for rhinomanometry-PSRS and r=0.795 for acoustic rhinometry-PSRS (p<0.001). Cronbach's alpha was 0.971 for rhinomanometry-PSRS and 0.969 for acoustic rhinometry-PSRS. Conclusion: A valid and reliable assessment tool has been developed to evaluate ORL residents' skills in performing R-AR. Both tools are recommended for assessing ORL residents' proficiency and determining their achievement of competence.
