Here at DREEAM we work with Simulated patients to enhance the educational experience.
Simulation is a well-recognised modality of healthcare education and is integral to the education programmes that we provide.
Simulation is a key component of the educational process whereby it offers the opportunity for learners to rehearse and underpin knowledge in a safe environment that is designed to replicate the healthcare system. A simulated patient is a person who has been trained to react in accordance with the patients condition and in relation to the interaction with the healthcare professional. This offers a more realistic experience for the healthcare professional especially in relation to the consultation process.
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A simulated patient is a person who has been trained to respond in the simulations as a real patient. This brings a degree of realism to the simulation events as healthcare professionals are dealing with a live person instead of a manikin.
SPs appear to offer a more realistic experience for learners than ‘plastic’ manikins and might be expected to engender interactions that approximate real clinical practice more closely. (Coffey 2015)
Reference
Coffey F et al 2015 Simulated patients versus manikins in acute‐care scenarios The Clinical Teacher Volume 13, Issue 4