Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading  Processing Request

The educational and financial impact of using patient educators to teach introductory physical exam skills.

Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading   Processing Request
Read Online Read More Add to Saved list
  • Author(s): Allen SS;Allen SS; Miller J; Ratner E; Santilli J
  • Source:
    Medical teacher [Med Teach] 2011; Vol. 33 (11), pp. 911-8. Date of Electronic Publication: 2011 May 19.
  • Publication Type:
    Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Language:
    English
  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Informa Healthcare Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 7909593 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1466-187X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 0142159X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Med Teach Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: London : Informa Healthcare
      Original Publication: London, Update Publications.
    • Subject Terms:
      Clinical Competence*; Health Educators/*economics ; Physical Examination/*standards; Competency-Based Education/methods ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Education, Medical ; Health Educators/statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Minnesota
    • Abstract:
      Purpose: Physical exam skills are essential to core competencies for physicians in training. It is increasingly difficult to secure time and funding for physician faculty to teach these critical skills. This study was designed to determine whether Patient Educators (PE) (non-physician instructors) in an introductory clinical medicine (ICM) course (1) were as effective as physician faculty in teaching the physical exam, (2) impacted consistency of student performance on a final practical exam, and (3) whether this model was cost effective.
      Method: PE were introduced into an ICM course at the University of Minnesota from 2006 to 2008. Each year, students' physical exam competencies were evaluated by a performance-based head-to-toe examination and 6 months later by an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Differences in test scores between years and variability (i.e., consistency) among yearly scores were assessed. The cost per student was calculated by considering a stable compensation cost per hour for the required number of physician faculty, standardized patients, and PE in each year.
      Results: Mean student performance was statistically lower with PE, but only by two percentage points. The amount of variation within the medical student classes' physical exam skills remained stable as the use of PE expanded. Total educator salary costs per student declined from $449 in 2006 to $196 in 2008.
      Conclusions: In terms of sustainability and student performance, the use of trained lay educators has equivalent outcomes and is less costly for physical exam instruction in the pre-clinical years.
    • Comments:
      Comment in: Med Teach. 2012;34(6):509; author reply 509-10. doi: 10.3109/0142159X.2012.681716. (PMID: 22578045)
    • Grant Information:
      United States Howard Hughes Medical Institute; United Kingdom Wellcome Trust
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20110520 Date Completed: 20120227 Latest Revision: 20181201
    • Publication Date:
      20250114
    • Accession Number:
      10.3109/0142159X.2011.558139
    • Accession Number:
      21592023