The Ventriloscope® as an innovative tool for assessing clinical examination skills: Appraisal of a novel method of simulating auscultatory findings

Abstract

Background: Simulation is increasingly used as a teaching tool and in assessment. The Ventriloscope® (VS) is a new auscultation simulator. This modified stethoscope allows pre-recorded sounds (activated wirelessly) to be integrated with a simulated patient (SP, professional actor).Aims: This study explores the instrument's potential for overcoming limitations of current objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) assessment by increasing validity while retaining reliability.Methods: After training SPs to synchronise the device with their breathing (recreating abnormal signs), we evaluated the VS during a third year undergraduate medical student OSCE. Students (n = 385), examiners (n = 19) and SPs (n = 10) completed post-exam questionnaires which were analysed using a coding framework. OSCE performance data were analysed using Stata 10.Results: When ‘compared to their usual stethoscope’ 40% of students found no difference in using the VS; 69% found it easier to identify sounds; 68% found examination with the VS very or fairly realistic when ‘compared to examining a real patient’. Examination scores were comparable with other OSCE stations.Conclusions: The VS reliably provided consistent ‘abnormal’ auscultatory signs within an OSCE framework. Using a VS may increase OSCE validity, allowing examiners to assess students' application of knowledge in a realistically simulated setting. The VS can help bridge the gap between simulation and real patients.