The effect of lecture and a standardized patient encounter on medical student rape myth acceptance and attitudes toward screening patients for a history of sexual assault.

Background: Most physicians fail to routinely screen patients for a history of sexual assault.

Purposes: This study aimed to gauge medical student support for routinely screening patients for a history of sexual assault, examine potential barriers to screening, and determine if attitudes can be changed through educational interventions.

Methods: One hundred three 2nd-year medical students completed a survey before and after a lecture on sexual assault (response rate = 94/103 and 90/103, respectively).

Do medical students respond empathetically to a virtual patient?

Background: Significant information exchange occurs between a doctor and patient through nonverbal communication such as gestures, body position, and eye gaze. In addition, empathy is an important trust-building element in a physician: patient relationship. Previous work validates the use of virtual patients (VP) to teach and assess content items related to history-taking and basic communication skills.

Comparing interpersonal interactions with a virtual human to those with a real human.

This paper provides key insights into the construction and evaluation of interpersonal simulators--systems that enable interpersonal interaction with virtual humans. Using an interpersonal simulator, two studies were conducted that compare interactions with a virtual human to interactions with a similar real human. The specific interpersonal scenario employed was that of a medical interview.

The use of virtual patients to teach medical students history taking and communication skills.

Background: At most institutions, medical students learn communication skills through the use of standardized patients (SPs), but SPs are time and resource expensive. Virtual patients (VPs) may offer several advantages over SPs, but little data exist regarding the use of VPs in teaching communication skills. Therefore, we report our initial efforts to create an interactive virtual clinical scenario of a patient with acute abdominal pain to teach medical students history-taking and communication skills.

Evaluating evidence-based medicine skills during a performance-based examination.

Purpose: To measure students' competencies in evidence-based medicine (EBM) skills [clinical decision making using evidence from published literature (content) and in transmitting clinical information to patients (communication)] within the context of a performance-based examination (PBE).

Method: In 2002-03, under the direction of a Performance-Based Examination Oversight Committee, 16 EBM queries were developed for a pair of third-year PBEs. At the last station of the PBE, the standardized patient (SP) for that station asked a clinical EBM question relating to their "disease process.