Assessment of competencies in pharmacology: Development and validation of a rubric for discussion of clinical cases in students of a school of human medicine

Introduction: The rubric is a tool that comprehensively evaluates the competencies that a student must achieve in a given area. The understanding and application of pharmacology are essential for establishing an appropriate therapeutic plan. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyze the evidence of validity and reliability of a competency-based assessment rubric for clinical case discussions in pharmacology. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional serial study. Content validation was carried out by a panel of 16 experts. The rubric was applied to 137 medical students from the National University of San Marcos (Lima, Peru) who were taking the Pharmacology course. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and inter-rater reliability was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Scores were compared using the paired Student's t-test. Results: A high degree of agreement was found among the experts (Aiken's V = 0.91), adequate internal consistency scores (α = 0.767), and inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.765). A significant increase in scores was observed as the Pharmacology course progressed (first half of the course = 13.99 ± 0.14; second half = 14.32 ± 0.18; p = 0.005). Conclusion: The data support the validity of the rubric for assessing competencies in clinical case discussions in pharmacology. It is essential to continue developing validated assessment tools, especially as pharmacology advances toward a competency-based approach.