Integrated model of Student Standardized Patients and peer assessment enhances SOAP note proficiency in obstetrics...

To assess the efficacy of an integrated training model that incorporates Students as Standardized Patients (SSPs) alongside structured peer assessment in enhancing SOAP (subjective-objective-assessment-plan) note-writing proficiency and overall course satisfaction among obstetrics and gynecology residents.

A prospective controlled educational study was conducted from January 2024 to June 2025. Third-year residents were allocated to either an experimental group (n = 51), which received training incorporating SSPs combined with peer assessment within a small-group collaborative setting, or a control group (n = 54), which received traditional peer role-play training. The outcomes were evaluated using the self-developed Teaching Experience and Satisfaction Questionnaire (TESQ), assessing seven domains on a 5-point Likert scale, and standardized SOAP note scores derived from the official Zhejiang Province Standardized Residency Training Clinical Practice Competency Rubric.

The experimental group demonstrated significantly greater satisfaction across six of the seven evaluated domains, with the most pronounced differences observed in Classroom Organization, Clinical Reasoning Development, and Model Recommendation (all P < 0.01). Furthermore, the total SOAP note scores were significantly higher in the experimental group (88.25 ± 2.76) than in the control group (85.20 ± 3.01; P < 0.01). Subsection analysis indicated that these improvements were primarily attributable to enhanced performance in the Objective (O) and Assessment (A) sections, likely reflecting the model's effectiveness in strengthening structured clinical data acquisition and analytical reasoning through interactive simulation and feedback. In contrast, no significant differences were detected in the Subjective (S) and Plan (P) sections. The final assessment pass rates did not differ significantly between the groups.

The incorporation of an integrated SSP and peer assessment model improved both the subjective training experience and objective performance in SOAP note writing within residency education. These improvements were particularly evident in domains requiring structured clinical data interpretation and reasoning, suggesting that the model preferentially enhances higher-order cognitive skills. This model constitutes a viable and resource-efficient innovation that bolsters clinical data collection and analytical reasoning. Furthermore, it provides a replicable approach for enhancing competency-based training in resource-constrained settings in the future.