Content validity is often lacking in tools for the assessment of competency in medical specialty and subspecialty trainees. The primary aim of this study was to develop a protocol for early test assessment in pediatric hematology using iterative rounds of expert evaluation in the context of explicit knowledge goals. We used the pediatric hematology content of the American Board of Pediatrics as a test case for assessment protocol development. We found that the use of expert input and three rounds of test development increased test content validity. The instrument developed here has the potential to improve assessment of competency in pediatric hematology. This approach also may be useful in the development of competency assessment tools for other medical subspecialties.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This study was funded by NIH grant T32 HL007344

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All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors