Using standardized patients to teach disease management skills to preclinical students: a pilot project.
BACKGROUND
Physician adherence to practice guidelines has been poor. Exposure to such guidelines is not a routine part of medical school curricula.


OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to determine whether standardized patients could be used to teach preclinical students the skills to manage a patient with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus.


METHODS
Students were assigned a standardized patient with hyperglycemia. The students were given guidelines on the management of diabetes and told to manage the patient appropriately. Patients' charts were reviewed to determine if all cardiovascular risks were managed appropriately.


RESULTS
Students successfully managed all cardiovascular risks according to published guidelines. Participants overwhelmingly believed this methodology was a valuable way to teach disease management.


CONCLUSIONS
Second-year students can use practice guidelines to successfully manage patients with diabetes. The students' performance exceeded the standards of care found in the published literature. This problem-based approach may be an ideal way to teach disease management.
Brown
Amanda
A
Program for the Teaching and Assessment of Clinical Skills, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
Anderson
Delia
D
Szerlip
Harold M
HM
D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000628:therapy*; D019468:Disease Management; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D016544:Patient Simulation; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012308:Risk Management