Background: The use of standardized patients has been an accepted instructi
onal methodology in medical education for many years. A logical evolution o
f this methodology is the creation of a standardized patient family.
Description: This article describes one such standardized family, the Jones
family, and how the family is used to teach interpersonal skills, intervie
wing, communication, counseling, and history-taking skills to medical stude
nts.
Evaluation: After several years of using the Jones family, we have found th
at more comprehensive scripts need to be developed that recruitment and ret
ention of standardized patients for a yearlong program does not seem to be
a problem, and that the value added by a standardized family greatly enhanc
es the educational experience for students. A standardized family seems a l
ogical educational vehicle for teaching continuity of care, confidentiality
, contextual placement of medical information within family dynamics, cultu
ral beliefs, community orientation, and generalism.
Conclusion: A standardized family is a viable instructional methodology tha
t deserves greater use in medical education. Teaching and Learning in Medic
ine, 12(3), 145-149. Copyright (C) 2000 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc
.