THE EFFECT OF A STANDARDIZED-PATIENT INSTRUCTOR EXPERIENCE ON STUDENTS ANXIETY AND CONFIDENCE LEVELS PERFORMING THE MALE GENITORECTAL EXAMINATION

Background: Standardized patient instruction (SPI) is recommended as a nonthreatening method for teaching the male genitorectal examination. The article's purpose is to describe the method's effectiveness in re ducing anxiety and increasing confidence among men and women students from diverse cultures. Description: We implemented an SPI program in 1 993 to teach the examination to 2nd-year students. Students performed their examinations in mired gender groups of three; a man student was responsible for disrobing the SPI and performing the first exam. Durin g the 45-min session, each of the three students performed the examina tion in turn, and each received immediate feedback on their technique and interpersonal approach to the patient. Evaluation: All students (n = 190) evaluated their SPI encounter immediately after the session ha d ended. Conclusions: Men and women students from all ethnic groups re ported decreased anxiety and increased confidence levels after the SPI session. These findings indicate that a carefully orchestrated SPI se ssion is effective in reducing students' anxiety about crossing person al space boundaries, overcoming a variety of proscriptions on gender-a ppropriate interactions, and increasing their confidence to perform th is sensitive examination.