Defining Quality of Simulated Patients’ Role Portrayal - a Multicenter Qualitative-Exploratory Study in Germany and Switzerland

Abstract

Introduction/Overview/Purpose When working with human simulation in health care education, adequate SP role portrayal and its quality assurance are of great importance both in teaching and particularly in standardized assessments. With the Fair-OSCE, the Maastricht Assessment of Simulated Patients and the Nijmegen Evaluation of the Simulated Patient, tools exist which focus, in part, on the role portrayal of SPs. However, empirical research on the significance of proper role portrayal and relevant aspects of role portrayal quality has not yet been conducted. Our research objective was to 1) describe the concepts of good SP role portrayal from the perspective of various stakeholders, 2) to identify key components for a good role portrayal and 3) to explore the impact of the quality of SPs' role portrayal on the achievement of learning objectives and examination goals in health professions education.

Methodology & Methods Taking a qualitative-explorative approach, the authors are currently conducting semi-structured interviews and focus groups with a purposive sample from the stakeholder groups consisting of students, lecturers, SP trainers and SPs invited at institutions of health professions education in Germany and Switzerland. Using standardized interview guides, 7 interviews and 1 focus group for each stakeholder group are conducted, totalling 28 interviews and 4 focus groups. The audio data is transcribed using the GAT 2-scheme and analyzed via qualitative content analysis. IRB approval was obtained.

Results/Outcome/Discussion Approximately 57 % of the data acquisition process has been completed (16/28 interview, 2/4 focus groups) and the data has been transcribed. Data acquisition will be finalized by January 2024. Final results are expected in spring 2024 and will be presented at the congress. Preliminary results show that the interpretation of terms like "quality" or "good acting" can vary substantially depending on the perspectives and different concepts of the stakeholder groups. It is already becoming apparent that formal criteria (e.g. role knowledge, symptom descriptions) can be distinguished from acting aspects (improvisation skills, authenticity).

Conclusion The various perspectives of stakeholder groups towards the research topic demonstrate the importance of an empirical exploratory approach and already show first outlines of a conceptual framework.