A multistation clinical examination using standardized patients was used over 4 years to assess the interpersonal skills of 346 fourth year medical students, 51 internal medicine residents, and 71 foreign medical graduates seeking admission to graduate study. Results indicate that a reliable assessment of interpersonal skills can be achieved this…

Case means and case failures in performance-based medical student evaluations were examined to evaluate the consistency of ratings made by two or more standardized patients (SPs) simulating the same case. Results demonstrate a need for caution in interpreting scores obtained from a case checklist completed by multiple SPs. (Author/MSE)

A study investigating possible sex bias, concerning both student and standardized-patient genders, in an objective structured clinical examination found that neither men nor women were afforded an advantage by patient or test location. However, women's scores on tests administered by females were higher than corresponding men's scores. (MSE)

A study investigated the performance of 6 successive medical school classes on 80 standardized-patient case examinations, looking for effects of student or standardized-patient gender on scores. Results showed no interaction of any practical consequence. Cases with gender-related concern (e.g., breast problems) also did not differentiate between…

A study investigated whether the more efficiently graded extended-matching questions were equivalent to short-answer questions in evaluating medical students' (n=98) ability to elicit physical findings and generate diagnoses and treatment plans, using standardized-patient examinations. The differences found in the two question types did not favor…

A study assessed the feasibility of sequential testing of medical students using standardized patients. Sequential testing passes students who score well on the first segment of the test thus eliminating additional student-standardized patient encounters. Subjects were six classes of Southern Illinois University students (n=404). Results strongly…

A unit on informed consent for first-year osteopathy students consists of pre- and posttests, a lecture, readings, small-group discussion, a model videotaped interview, and students' videotaped interviews with a simulated patient. Students were most successful in establishing patient rapport and discussion, least successful in conflict resolution…

A study found that trained standardized patients could provide a reliable assessment of English proficiency of foreign medical graduates by comparison with a standardized language test, but further research is needed to determine whether it is necessary to provide a clinical context for language assessment. (MSE)

A study assessed the usefulness of unannounced standardized patients to assess the skills of 284 physicians enrolled in a continuing medical education program in control of sexually transmitted diseases and human immunodeficiency virus. Significant discrepancies were found between physician-reported performance and actual performance, as found in…