Authors: Malik Z1, Valnarov-Boulter I1, Davis D1, Khusakul P1, Rahman T1, Vijayanathan J1, Jain D1, Ogundiya O1, Noronha A1, Fleming F1, Aldridge C1, Young TM2
Introduction
“Standardised patients” are actors aiding medical training or evaluation. Despite over fifty years of use, existing literature has focussed on standardised patients depicting diseases, rather than on their potential to teach examination findings in healthy subjects, crucial for medical learners to understand.
Aims
To evaluate the effectiveness of standardised patients rather than actual patients for teaching examination skills in healthy subjects. We focused on the neurological examination, recognised as one of the most challenging for medical students and doctors to master.
Methods
An experienced standardised patient was used to teach the neurology examination to all undergraduate medical students on our Clinical Neurology & Brain Sciences iBSc degree. Student competency was then assessed, with feedback obtained with questionnaires.
Results
After teaching, all students demonstrated excellent clinical skills. Questionnaires confirmed that the use of standardised patients lessened perceived examination difficulty.
Conclusions
This collaboration with undergraduate students provides evidence supporting the use of standardised patients to teach clinical neurological skills in healthy subjects.
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Footnotes
1 Medical student on iBSc Clinical Neurology & Brain Sciences degree at Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL
2 Course director of Clinical Neurology & Brain Sciences iBSc at Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL