Simulation: an Innovative Approach to Engaging Preclinical Medical Students with Bioethics

Christine E Bishop; Gerardo Maradiaga; Kendall R Freeman; Timothy R Peters; Jennifer M Jackson

doi:10.1007/s40670-020-01159-w

Simulation: an Innovative Approach to Engaging Preclinical Medical Students with Bioethics

Med Sci Educ. 2021 Jan 11;31(2):325-329. doi: 10.1007/s40670-020-01159-w. eCollection 2021 Apr.

Authors

Christine E Bishop¹, Gerardo Maradiaga², Kendall R Freeman³, Timothy R Peters⁴, Jennifer M Jackson⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 4401 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224 USA.
² Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Center Bioethics, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157 USA.
³ Academic Affairs, Bowman Gray Center for Medical Education, Wake Forest School of Medicine, 475 Vine Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101 USA.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157 USA.

Abstract

Background: Integrating bioethical concepts into preclinical medical school curriculum and engaging early medical learners in bioethics are a challenge.

Activity: A total of 140 medical students participated in a 2-h simulation activity consisting of a series of standardized patient (SP) encounters.

Results: A total of 41 of 140 students (29%) completed the learner evaluation survey. Ninety-one percent thought that the SP encounter was relevant to their role as a future physician. Ninety-three percent of students rated the exercise as highly effective.

Conclusions: SP encounters enhance preclinical medical students' engagement with bioethics and provide learners practice applying these concepts to clinically relevant scenarios.

Keywords: Bioethics; Decision-making capacity; Informed consent; Medical ethics; Simulation; Standardized patient; Undergraduate medical education.