Patient instructors in rheumatology.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Skills Training

Background:

• Patient instructors are patients trained to teach medical students focused history-taking and examination skills.
• Their use is well-documented in rheumatology, particularly for rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of patient instructors in medical education.
• To assess their impact on student knowledge, skills, and understanding of chronic conditions.

Main Methods:

• Review of studies on patient instructor effectiveness in rheumatology and other medical fields.
• Analysis of student and patient instructor feedback and outcomes.

Main Results:

• Patient instructors are effective in enhancing student knowledge and skills, comparable to clinicians.
• They excel at improving students' understanding of the impact of living with chronic conditions.
• With training, they can assess student examination skills at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Conclusions:

• Patient instructors are a valuable and underutilized resource for medical student learning.
• Significant training and selection criteria are necessary for effective implementation.
• Patient instructors derive benefits, but fair financial reward is crucial; they are not a "cheap" educational option.