Impact of standardized patients on the training of medical students to manage emergencies.
BACKGROUND
Teaching emergency management should educate medical students not only for facts and treatment algorithms but also for time effective physical examination, technical skills, and team interaction. We tested the hypothesis, that using standardized emergency patients would be more effective in transmitting knowledge and skills compared with a more traditional teaching approach.


METHODS
Medical students (n = 242) in their fourth (second clinical) year were randomized to receive either training on standardized patients simulating 3 emergency settings ("acute chest pain," "stroke," and "acute dyspnea/asthma") or traditional small group seminars. Before and after the respective training pathways, the students' knowledge base (multiple-choice examination) and practical performance (objective structured clinical examination using 3 different emergency scenarios) were assessed.


RESULTS
Teaching using standardized patients resulted in a significant albeit small improvement in objective structured clinical examination scores (61.2 ± 3 for the standardized patient trained group vs 60.3 ± 3.5 for the traditional seminar group; P = 0.017, maximum achievable score: 66), but no difference in the written examination scores (27.4 ± 2.4 vs 27.0 ± 4.4; P = 0.341; maximum achievable score: 30).


CONCLUSIONS
Teaching management of emergencies using standardized patients can improve medical students' performance in clinical tests, and a change from traditional seminars in favor of practice sessions with standardized patients does not compromise the learning of medical facts.
Staff Anesthesiologist, Klinik für Anästhesiologie & Intensivmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Essen Standardized Patients Program, Student Deans office, Faculty of Medicine, Universität Duisburg-Essen Professor, Institut für Soziologie, Universität Duisburg-Essen Lecturer, Institut für Soziologie, Universität Duisburg-Essen Medical Student, Universität Duisburg-Essen Professor of Anesthesiology & Intensive Care Therapy, Universität Duisburg-Essen, and Chairman, Klinik für Anästhesiologie & Intensivmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Essen, Germany.
Frank
F
Herbstreit
Stefanie
S
Merse
Rainer
R
Schnell
Marcel
M
Noack
Daniel
D
Dirkmann
Anna
A
Besuch
Jürgen
J
Peters
D002637:Chest Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D016544:Patient Simulation; D010808:Physical Examination; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D013337:Students, Medical