Real patient involvement in role development: evaluating patient focused resources for clinical procedural skills

Abstract

Background: Simulated patients (SPs) are widely used in medical education. The literature offers little evidence for scenario or SP role development. Published materials describe guidelines for structuring roles but there is little information on process. Anecdotal evidence suggests that SP roles are usually created by health care professionals and teachers. Although this approach has advantages it places the role at risk of omitting or misrepresenting real patients’ experiences.

Aim: We wanted to explore a systematic approach to role development that was based on individual patient's experiences.

Methods: Real patients were interviewed about their experiences of procedures they had undergone. This information formed the basis of our procedural skills SP roles.

Results: Eight new roles were created. Evaluation by SPs (n = 22) showed more positive comments about realism on roles based on real patients’ experiences compared with those crafted by our multidisciplinary team although there were no statistically significant differences in numerical ratings.

Conclusions: The approach to writing roles described here is not suited to all simulations. However, it offers guidance to those involved in writing scenarios and has led us to critically reflect on the ways in which we provide educational materials that are patient focused.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Debra Nestel

DEBRA NESTEL, TANYA TIERNEY and ROGER KNEEBONE were faculty at Imperial College London at the time of this study. Debra Nestel is now at faculty at Gippsland Medical School, Australia.

Marco Cecchini

MARCO CECCHINI, MARCO CALANDRINI, LILY CHANG and ROBIN DUTTA are medical students at Imperial College London.

Marco Calandrini

MARCO CECCHINI, MARCO CALANDRINI, LILY CHANG and ROBIN DUTTA are medical students at Imperial College London.

Lily Chang

MARCO CECCHINI, MARCO CALANDRINI, LILY CHANG and ROBIN DUTTA are medical students at Imperial College London.

Robin Dutta

MARCO CECCHINI, MARCO CALANDRINI, LILY CHANG and ROBIN DUTTA are medical students at Imperial College London.

Tanya Tierney

DEBRA NESTEL, TANYA TIERNEY and ROGER KNEEBONE were faculty at Imperial College London at the time of this study. Debra Nestel is now at faculty at Gippsland Medical School, Australia.

Ruth Brown

RUTH BROWN is a consultant in the Emergency Department, St Mary's Hospital, London.

Roger Kneebone

DEBRA NESTEL, TANYA TIERNEY and ROGER KNEEBONE were faculty at Imperial College London at the time of this study. Debra Nestel is now at faculty at Gippsland Medical School, Australia.