title: Use of standardized patients in, undergraduate medical genetics education.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effectiveness of a standardized patient (SP) program in increasing the competence of medical students in assessing genetic risks and communicating genetic information to patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Third-year medical students at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine had two encounters from 2001 to 2003 with the same SP, who portrayed a woman at risk for hereditary breast cancer. Assessment instruments included student self-assessment of skills, SP assessment of student communication skills, an observer checklist, grading of the student-drawn pedigree, and a knowledge test. Students also completed an evaluation form after the debriefing session at the end of each of the SP sessions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SP program was completed by 136 students. The student self-evaluation of skills instrument revealed that students who completed the SP program felt more competent in their ability to draw a pedigree, assess genetic risks based on family history and pedigree information, and communicate genetic risks compared to students at the same level of training who did not participate in the SP program. Of participating students, 90% agreed that the program allowed them to identify areas for improvement in their skills, and 95% agreed that the exercise increased their confidence for having a similar patient interaction in the future.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of SPs in undergraduate medical genetics education may be one means for increasing the confidence of medical students in skills that are related to genetic encounters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Genetics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA. margaret.mcgovern@mssm.edu
authors.forename: Margaret M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: McGovern
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Randi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zinberg
authors.forename: Devra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods; D005826:Genetics, Medical / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D016544:Patient Simulation; D012655:Self-Evaluation Programs; D013337:Students, Medical