Comparison of Assessment by Teacher Standard Patients and Peer Role Play of Medical Students’ History-Taking Skills

Abstract

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to compare the differences between the teaching models of teacher standardized patient (TSP) and peer role play (pRP) in training students’ history-taking skills and to further analyze the differences between scripted and non-scripted pRP. METHODS From May to June 2023, 630 undergraduate third-year medical students majoring in clinical medicine participated in the study. Students were randomly divided into either the TSP or pRP group (both scripted pRP (spRP) and non-scripted pRP (non-spRP)). All groups participated in the same half-hour theory lecture before practicing history taking. After class, we analyzed students’ course behavior and recorded their writing performance and patient history-taking scores when consulting with real patients. Students’ satisfaction with the course was analyzed through a questionnaire. Pre- and post-course self-assessment forms enabled understanding of students’ cognition and self-perceived confidence in their interview skills. RESULTS There were statistically significant differences in the scores of the TSP, spRP, and non-spRP groups in group-based consultation assessment (p < 0.05), whereas there were no statistically significant differences in the scores of medical record writing (p > 0.05). The mean scores of students' overall attitudinal evaluation of the course had no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05). The mean scores of students' attitudes toward clinical skills development had no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05); the mean scores of students' attitudes towards teamwork had a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). The pre-simulation self-assessment of all three groups was higher than their post-simulation elf-assessment, and the differences were statistically significant (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSION RP is more suitable for a history-taking practical course for junior students, which can mobilize the classroom atmosphere, increase students' interest and motivation, and develop students' sense of teamwork; spRP’s performance on the interrogation skills test was higher. Students' self-confidence and attention to the course had an impact on their self-assessment evaluation.