Virtual Standardized Patients for Improving Clinical Thinking Ability Training in Residents: Randomized Controlled...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Technology
• Clinical Skills Development
• Internal Medicine Training

Background:

• Traditional case-based teaching in internal medicine has limitations in developing clinical thinking skills and places pressure on instructors.
• Virtual standardized patients (VSPs) offer a potential alternative, but evidence on their effectiveness is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical application and effectiveness of a "VSPs in general practice" system.
• To compare VSP training with traditional teaching methods in enhancing medical students' clinical thinking abilities.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 60 medical students over two years.
• Participants were divided into an experimental group (VSP training) and a control group (traditional training).
• Effectiveness was assessed via knowledge tests, virtual system scoring, and student satisfaction surveys.

Main Results:

• The VSP group showed significantly greater improvements in theoretical scores (P<.001) and virtual clinical thinking tests (P<.001) compared to the control group.
• Significant enhancements were observed in the VSP group for consultation skills, overall objective improvement, diagnostic ability, and patient treatment planning (P<.05 for all).
• 90% of students in the VSP group felt it enhanced their clinical thinking abilities.

Conclusions:

• VSPs effectively reinforce foundational knowledge and enhance clinical thinking and independent work skills in medical students.
• The VSP system is feasible, practical, and cost-effective, warranting wider adoption in clinical education.