SIMULATED PATIENTS FOR THE PRACTICAL EXAMINATION OF MEDICAL-STUDENTS - INTENTIONS, PROCEDURES AND EXPERIENCES

This paper presents intentions, procedures and experiences related to a simple method for training simulated patients for undergraduate exam inations set up as clinical consultations. The examinations took place in the final year of medical school, at the Division for General Prac tice, University of Bergen, Norway. Thirty-six medical students were a ssessed by the use of five primary-school teachers serving as simulate d patients and 18 authentic patients. Field notes from the process, ob servations during the examinations, written evaluation from the studen ts and transcript of audiotape from focus group setting with the simul ants are presented. Simulants were trained and prepared to simulate co mmon health problems during a brief procedure which seemed to be suffi cient as long as standardization was not aimed for. Simulants were not detected from among the ordinary patients by the students. Even the a uthentic patients did some level of role playing, which must be accoun ted for in future preparation. Simulants may by means of brief prepara tory instructions serve as useful and realistic supplements to authent ic patients in the practical examination of undergraduate medical stud ents.