title: Comparison of standardized patients and real patients as an experiential teaching strategy in a nutrition counseling course for dietetic students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the quality of communication and behavioral change skills among dietetic students having two nutrition encounters with either a real patient or a standardized patient in the simulation laboratory at Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis of video recordings (n=138) containing nutrition encounters of dietetic students (n=75) meeting with a standardized patient (SP) or a real patient (RP). Trained raters evaluated communication skills with the 28 item Calgary Cambridge Observation Guide (CCOG) and skills promoting behavior change using the 11 item Behavior Change Counseling Index (BECCI) tool.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using the CCOG, there was a significantly greater mean score in the SP group for the category of "Gathering Information" in encounter one (p=0.020). There were good to excellent ratings in all categories of the CCOG and the BECCI scores for the SP and the RP groups at both encounters. There was no significant differences in change scores from encounter one to encounter two between groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Encounters with SPs and RPs are both effective strategies for dietetic students to demonstrate their communication and behavior change skills.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Utilizing SPs is an effective experiential strategy for nutrition counseling curricula.
authors.affiliation: Drexel University, Department of Nutrition Sciences, Philadelphia, USA; Rutgers University, New Jersey School of Health Related Professions, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Newark, USA. Electronic address: vss29@drexel.edu.
authors.forename: Vicki S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.affiliation: Rutgers University, New Jersey School of Health Related Professions, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Newark, USA.
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rothpletz-Puglia
authors.affiliation: Rutgers University, New Jersey School of Health Related Professions, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Newark, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Denmark
authors.affiliation: Rutgers University, New Jersey School of Health Related Professions, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Newark, USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Byham-Gray
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000193:education*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D003376:Counseling / Q000193:education*; D004046:Dietetics / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016544:Patient Simulation; D010414:Pennsylvania; D013336:Students, Health Occupations / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Behavior change counseling index; Calgary Cambridge tool; Communication skills, Dietetic students; Experiential; Nutrition counseling; Simulation; Standardized patients