Refining the CRiSPHe (checklist for reporting research using a simulated patient methodology in Health): a Delphi...

Area of Science:

• Health professions education research
• Medical simulation methodology

Background:

• Existing Checklist for Reporting studies involving Simulated Patients (CRiSP) required improvement in clarity and user-friendliness based on applicability studies.
• Simulated patient (SP) methodology is crucial in health research for realistic training and assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To update and refine the CRiSP checklist based on expert feedback and applicability testing.
• To enhance the clarity and user-friendliness of reporting guidelines for simulated patient research.

Main Methods:

• A fourth Delphi consensus study was conducted with experts in SP methodology.
• A questionnaire with 13 revised checklist items was distributed, followed by a roundtable discussion for further modifications.
• Consensus was defined as >80% agreement, with closed questions analyzed by frequency and open questions by content analysis.

Main Results:

• Twenty-one authors participated in the consensus study.
• Statistical consensus (>80% agreement) was achieved on 12 out of the 13 modified checklist items.
• The updated checklist items were refined through expert discussion and analysis.

Conclusions:

• A consensus-driven, updated reporting checklist for health research using SP methodology has been developed.
• The revised CRiSP aims to improve the quality and consistency of reporting in simulated patient studies.
• Further validation and refinement may be necessary to ensure broad generalizability across diverse research contexts.