Standardized patients in assessment for clinical competencies of trainees in general practice training / 中华全科医师杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To assess clinical competencies of trainees with standardized patients(SPs)and explore reform in methods of assessment for trainees at their completion in standardized training for general practice.Methods Totally,52 trainees in clinical training bases for general practice in Shanghai attended the examinations.Their skills in commanication skills,information and data gathering,comprehensive consultation,clinical thinking and decision-making in diagnosis and treatment were examined by rotation of three serial assessment stations in a specified time to perform standardized tasks,including medical history-taking,physical examinations(PE),medial record writing and oral tests.Results Scoresof history-taking,PE and skills of communication with SPs were higher than those agsessed by examiners themselves.but they both correlated each other with a P-value less than 0.01,with the highest coefficient of correlation of 0.774 between score of PE and that assessed by examiners.There was significant difference in average score among all clinical skills(F=9.867,P＜0.01),with the lowest one of comprehensive consultation skills of 64±22(P＜0.01).Skills of communication with patients had the highest correlation with data gathering ability(r=0.582,P＜0.01).Results of analysis for influential factors showed no significant difference in average score for all skills between men and women trainees(P＜0.05).Average score of comprehensive consultation ability in those with work experience was lower than that in thoge without it(P＜0.05)and no significant difference in scores of all the other skills wag found between those with varied length of working(P＞0.05).There was significant difiefence in average scores of communication skills,medical record writing,and case analysis between various trainees(P＜0.01).In addition,average scores of information collecting and medical record writing also differed among trainees from varied bases for general practice training(P＜0.05).Conclusions Clinical skills,ability to direct teaching work,and improvement of teaching model can be assessed in a comprehensive and objectively way using standardized patients in general practice training.