The Physical Examination of Patients With Abdominal Pain:The Long-Term Effect Of Adding Standardized Patients and Small-Group Feedback to a Lecture Presentation

Abstract

Background: One of the most effective methods for teaching physical diagnosis may be standardized patient instructors. Purpose: To determine if a lecture plus standardized patient instructors with small-group sessions is more effective than a lecture alone for teaching the evaluation of patients with abdominal pain. Methods: Control (class of 2001) and intervention (class of 2002) groups both attended a lecture on the abdominal examination. The intervention group then underwent an exercise with standardized patient instructors and a review session with surgical faculty. An evaluation 18 months later used standardized patient instructors to complete evaluations assessing history-taking and physical examination skills. Results: The intervention group performed significantly better than the control group on both the history and the physical examination subscales. Conclusion: It is possible to have an important, measurable, and lasting effect on physical examination skills by adding standardized patient instructors and small-group discussion to a lecture presentation.