STANDARDIZED (SIMULATED) PATIENTS ACCURACY IN RECORDING CLINICAL-PERFORMANCE CHECKLIST ITEMS

In large-scale performance-based assessment of medical professionals' clinical competence, simulated patients (standardized patients - SPs) are used not only to simulate case problems but also to record on check-list the examinees' clinical performance during their encounter with the SPs. The purposes of this study were to determine the SPs' overall accuracy in recording check-list items, and whether their accuracy was affected by the various characteristics of the check-list, and by the different times during a day and the different days within the examination when the recordings were obtained. Results showed that the SPs' accuracy in recording check-list items was good to very good and was affected by the length of the check-list, as well-as by the type and the clarity of the check-list item. It was further found that the SPs' accuracy was consistent and did not vary over the course of a one-day or a 15-day examination.