Does simulator training for medical students change patient opinions and attitudes toward medical student procedures in the emergency department?
OBJECTIVE
To determine how simulator training impacts patients' preferences about medical student procedures in the emergency department.


METHODS
A questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 151 of 185 patients approached (82% participation) seen in the emergency department of a midwestern teaching hospital. The questionnaire asked how many procedures they would prefer a medical student have performed after mastering the procedure on a simulator before allowing the medical student to perform this procedure on them. The procedures included venipuncture, placement of an intravenous line, suturing the face or arm, performing a lumbar puncture, placement of a central line, placement of a nasogastric tube, intubation, and cardioversion. These results were compared with those of a similar study asking about the same procedures without the stipulation that the skill had been mastered on a simulator.


RESULTS
A high of 57% (venipuncture) and a low of 11% (placement of a central line) would agree to be a student's first procedure after simulator training. Except for intubating and suturing, participants were more likely (p < 0.05) to allow a medical student to perform a procedure on them after simulator training than without simulator training. Many patients prefer not to have a medical student perform a procedure no matter how many procedures the student has done (low of 21% for venipuncture, high of 55% for placement of a central line).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients are more accepting of medical students performing procedures if the skill has been mastered on a simulator. However, many patients do not want a medical student to perform a procedure on them regardless of the student's level of training.
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City 52246, USA. mark-graber@uiowa.edu <mark-graber@uiowa.edu>
Mark A
MA
Graber
Christopher
C
Wyatt
Leah
L
Kasparek
Yinghui
Y
Xu
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007440:Intubation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007484:Iowa; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016544:Patient Simulation; D018962:Phlebotomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013129:Spinal Puncture / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013536:Suture Techniques / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013664:Teaching Materials