Over forty years ago Dr. Howard Barrows developed the idea of
using "actors" to simulate patient problems. While not meant to replace real patients, individuals have the opportunity to experience the personal responsibility of interviewing and examining an actual case that has no added stress or risk to a real patient. We provide a positive environment where participants can experiment with language skills and approach situations in various ways that will help them assess and improve their competency. This is particularly useful for Internationally Trained Professionals.
Feedback is provided from the patient's perspective, their peers and ourselves as instructors. Discussion is stimulated about professional behaviour and interpersonal skills.
Topics include such concerns as death and dying, abuse, mental health, and gender sensitive issues, amongst many others. The Simulated Patients, who will be provided by us, offer a controlled situation. They are trained to provide a certain amount of unsolicited information and know what answers to provide to the participant’s questions.
A simulation can be adjusted to the comfort or professional level of the participant/interviewer. For example, if the Simulated Patient is simulating anger, the real anger may be frightening and difficult and therefore an inappropriate experience. The participant is able to repeat a task over and over until a level of competency is achieved. |
The Simulated Patient is adaptable and allows for the monitoring of the participant interviewer in areas of great sensitivity or risk, where opportunities for direct participation are not often possible. With the use of "time-ins and time outs", the facilitator can pause, fast-forward or re-wind the case to discuss various problems the participant is encountering with the simulated patient, to clarify direction, reactions and problem definitions without risk. There is minimal variation with the Simulated Patient from participant to participant or session to session. The simulation is repeatable.
The presenting problems are standard and consistent - the only variance is the Simulated Patient's reaction to the participant's approaches and interpersonal interactions. Also the participant/patient encounter can be dissected to meet one particular aspect of an interview or clinical skill.
The use of video-taping could also be used as a further tool for skills refinement. Unlike role-playing, the Simulated Patient maintains his/her role, which increases the realism for the learner who must respond as he/she would to a real case when there is no familiarity or preconceived determinants of the problem. Also there is no risk to the Simulated Patient, therefore participant/interviewer anxiety decreases. |
