Comparing Teaching Methods on Skin Disorders Using Standardized Patients Dressed in Moulage vs Paper Cases

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pharmacy Education
• Dermatology Education

Background:

• Effective methods for teaching skin disorder assessment to pharmacy students are crucial for clinical practice.
• Traditional picture-based cases may not fully replicate real-world patient encounters.
• Standardized patients (SPs) offer a more interactive learning experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of standardized patients with moulage versus picture-based cases in improving pharmacy students' skin disorder assessment skills.
• To evaluate pharmacy students' preferences for these two educational methods.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, non-blinded, crossover study design was employed.
• Pharmacy students assessed drug-induced skin disorders and contact dermatitis using both picture-based cases and SPs with moulage.
• Knowledge was assessed via multiple-choice questions, and preferences were gathered through surveys.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in knowledge scores were observed between the two methods for assessing skin disorders.
• Pharmacy students showed a preference for using SPs with moulage when learning about drug-induced skin disorders.
• No significant preference difference was noted for contact dermatitis cases.

Conclusions:

• Standardized patients with moulage do not significantly enhance pharmacy students' knowledge of skin disorder assessment compared to traditional methods.
• Student preference favors standardized patients with moulage for specific conditions like drug-induced skin disorders, suggesting potential benefits for engagement.