The use of real patients in OSCEs: a survey of medical students' predictions and opinions.

摘要

Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are widely used in assessing clinical competency and allow the observation of candidates interacting with real or simulated patients (Wass et al. 2001). Real patients provide opportunities to demonstrate actual clinical features such as physical signs. However, there are issues regarding the use of real patients in OSCEs (Collins & Harden 1998). OSCEs are demanding and can potentially cause patients distress and discomfort after repeated examinations. Furthermore, actual clinical features can be difficult to standardise across different OSCE circuits. Scant evidence exists in the literature regarding the use of real patients in OSCEs. We therefore carried out a study to evaluate medical students' predictions and opinions regarding the use of real patients in Final MB OSCEs.