Comparison of patient simulation methods used in a physical assessment course.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether there is a difference in student pharmacists' learning or satisfaction when standardized patients or manikins are used to teach physical assessment.


DESIGN
Third-year student pharmacists were randomized to learn physical assessment (cardiac and pulmonary examinations) using either a standardized patient or a manikin.


ASSESSMENT
Performance scores on the final examination and satisfaction with the learning method were compared between groups. Eighty and 74 student pharmacists completed the cardiac and pulmonary examinations, respectively. There was no difference in performance scores between student pharmacists who were trained using manikins vs standardized patients (93.8% vs. 93.5%, p=0.81). Student pharmacists who were trained using manikins indicated that they would have probably learned to perform cardiac and pulmonary examinations better had they been taught using standardized patients (p<0.001) and that they were less satisfied with their method of learning (p=0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
Training using standardized patients and manikins are equally effective methods of learning physical assessment, but student pharmacists preferred using standardized patients.
['Grice|Gloria R|GR|', 'Wenger|Philip|P|', 'Brooks|Natalie|N|', 'Berry|Tricia M|TM|']
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel D003479:Curriculum D004512:Education, Pharmacy D004521:Educational Measurement D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice D006801:Humans D007858:Learning D008348:Manikins D016544:Patient Simulation D010549:Personal Satisfaction D010808:Physical Examination D013339:Students, Pharmacy D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires D013647:Task Performance and Analysis D013663:Teaching
physical assessment standardized patients manikins pulmonary examination cardiac examination