Understanding Patient Evaluation of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding (AUB): A Standardized Patient Case on AUB for OB/GYN Clerkship Students.

INTRODUCTION: The differential diagnosis for abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) among reproductive-age women is broad and includes common and life-threatening conditions. Recognition and accurate diagnosis of AUB are important but can be challenging for medical students. We developed a standardized patient (SP) encounter for medical students during their OB/GYN clerkship. METHODS: We implemented two SP encounters, on AUB and dyspareunia, that included a postencounter note and SP evaluations. Here, we describe the implementation of the SP encounter on AUB. Students received formative feedback on their interpersonal and history-taking skills, differential diagnosis, and management plan from the SP as well as OB/GYN residents and faculty. Student cumulative feedback was obtained mid-clerkship and following the clerkship. Summary statistics and qualitative data for students' experiences are reported. RESULTS: SP cases were implemented at the Duke University School of Medicine with 101 second-year medical students who completed the encounter from September 2018 to July 2019. Regarding the AUB case, SPs identified students as adequate history takers, with a mean evaluation score of 3.45 (SD = 0.15) out of 5. Most students (94%) correctly identified at least one diagnosis and provided evidence. Endometrial cancer/hyperplasia (63%) and uterine leiomyoma (60%) were most likely to be identified. Regarding both SP encounters, of the 82 students (81%) completing the end-of-clerkship survey, 57% indicated that the experience enhanced their overall learning at least adequately well or better. DISCUSSION: The AUB case provided students with the opportunity to exercise their diagnostic and management skills.

It's Getting Hot in Here: Piloting a Telemedicine OSCE Addressing Menopausal Concerns for Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkship Students.

Introduction: Although menopause is a common condition, trainees still express high levels of discomfort with managing climacteric symptoms. Trainees also receive little preparation for conducting telemedicine visits, which have become increasingly important in clinical care. We present a formative standardized patient (SP) encounter to introduce medical students to the diagnosis and treatment of menopausal symptoms and the process of conducting a telemedicine visit. Methods: We designed a virtual telemedicine encounter with an SP for medical students. Students received feedback via a post-encounter note on history taking, differential diagnosis, and diagnostics/management and an SP debrief. We collected student input on the experience at the midpoint and end of clerkship and analyzed it for recurring themes. We calculated summary statistics from student post-encounter notes. Results: Thirty-two OB/GYN students completed the menopause telemedicine SP encounter between April and June 2020. Students scored a median of 20 out of 45 (interquartile range: 18, 22) on the post-encounter note. All students correctly provided a diagnosis of perimenopause/menopause; however, 50% did not offer any strategy for counseling or managing menopausal symptoms. Students expressed discomfort with using a telehealth format (78%) but found it a useful skill to practice (47%). A majority (66%) found the educational encounter to be of excellent or above-average educational value. Discussion: While medical students demonstrated discomfort with both managing menopause and utilizing a telemedicine format, this SP case provided an opportunity for them to practice both skills in a safe learning environment. The majority of participants rated the learning experience highly.

Understanding Sexual Complaints and History Taking: A Standardized Patient Case on Dyspareunia for Obstetrics and Gynecology Clerkship Students.

Introduction: Learning to elicit a sexual history and counsel patients on sexual pain aligns with the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics clerkship objectives. This topic can be challenging to cover due to lack of exposure in clinical encounters and inadequate coverage in preclinical studies. Methods: Second-year medical students in the OB/GYN clerkship participated in a standardized patient (SP) encounter on dyspareunia, receiving formative feedback on sexual history taking, differential diagnosis and management plan, and their SP's comfort during the encounter. Student feedback was obtained mid- and postclerkship. Summary statistics and regression models comparing SP encounter scores with shelf exam and clerkship scores are reported. Results: From September 2018 through July 2019, 101 students completed the encounter. Students asked an average of 3.9 of 13 sexual history questions. Sixty-six percent of students identified a correct diagnosis; 48% provided a management plan. The majority of students were very good or excellent at creating a safe environment. Most reported the encounter enhanced their learning (62%) and identified knowledge gaps (72%). SP encounter score was not associated with shelf exam score or clerkship letter grade but was associated with final clerkship score (unadjusted ß = 0.2, p = .009; adjusted ß = 0.1, p = .2). A summary didactic session was developed following student feedback. Discussion: This SP encounter and summary didactic session allowed students to improve their sexual history taking and may be associated with clerkship performance. These skills are necessary to advocate for patients with sensitive complaints across specialties.

The Emotional and Behavioral Impact of Delivering Bad News to Virtual versus Real Standardized Patients: A Pilot Study.

Phenomenon: Virtual standardized patients (vSPs) are becoming increasingly common in medical education, though one limitation of vSPs is the artificiality of computer-based simulators. Past research on the use of vSPs has not clearly established whether learners have different emotional responses to real SPs (rSPs) compared with vSPs; however, understanding learners' emotional responses to vSPs is important in providing realistic learning experiences and establishing the validity of this teaching and assessment tool. This study compared the emotional experiences of individuals who interacted with rSPs and vSPs. Approach: Sixty medical students at a medical school in the southeastern United States participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to deliver bad news to an rSP or vSP. The vSP for this study used a hybrid intelligence model that allowed a person to "inhabit" the vSP. Salivary cortisol and a self-report measure of mood-the Profile of Mood States, Second Edition (POMS 2)-were gathered before and after delivering the bad news. The SP and 2 independent evaluators rated the behavioral performance of each participant in real and virtual conditions. Participants also rated the performance of the SP. Findings: Participants in both conditions reported increased negative emotionality on the POMS 2 following the SP interaction. There were no significant between-group differences on the POMS 2 or salivary cortisol concentration following the SP interaction. Ratings by the SP and independent evaluators indicated that participants performed similarly on most interpersonal dimensions, except tone of voice. Participants perceived the vSP as less realistic than the rSP. Insights: These results suggest that medical students may have similar emotional and behavioral responses when delivering bad news to a vSP when compared to an rSP. These findings provide support for the continued use of vSPs in training learners to deliver bad news and other communication-based skills and to assess their performance on these tasks.