Clinical Assessment Tools: Standardized Patients (SP's)

SP’s (Standardized Patients)


 * An SP is a person who has received coaching to accurately portray a patient and present consistent verbal and nonverbal communication, personality characteristics, emotions, and physical findings
 * Standardized patient-based performance assessment has advanced to include undergraduate and graduate medical education and is commonly used to evaluate both the technical and nontechnical skills necessary for the safe and effective practice of medicine.
 * A standardized, objective, and structured method of assessment is critical for quality and accountability in medical education and transition to clinical practice
 * Standardized patients (SPs) provide an opportunity for the learner to interact in patient-care scenarios that may replicate actual clinical practice with planned attention to the psychological and physical safety of learners and SPs and without risk of harm to an actual patient
 * Two exam formats have emerged that utilize a standardized patient methodology to assess learners' clinical skills, competence, and performance - the Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) and the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA).   (1)

References:

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546672/