Teaching patient selection in aesthetic surgery use of the standardized patient

This study evaluates the effectiveness of standardized patients for teaching patient selection in esthetic surgery. Six actors received detailed character descriptions. Each was interviewed by a resident for 30 minutes in a conference setting. Participants completed a questionnaire, and a discussion was held. Written simulations were administered before and after the sessions, from which a faculty standard was developed using hierarchical cluster analysis. Resident responses were compared with the standard using a squared euclidean metric. Residents' pre- and posttest scores were compared with the faculty standard using 2-way analysis of variance. Accuracy scores were found to be significantly lower (more accurate) after the training than before (P > 0.001). Upon a 6-item questionnaire, both faculty and residents agreed that it was a worthwhile exercise (faculty mean, 6.2 out of 7; resident, 6.3) and that the standardized patients were believable. Standardized patients can provide effective instruction in traditionally difficult-to-teach areas such as communication and patient selection.