Dynamic Patient Simulators as an inter-physician communication training aid

Dynamic Patient Simulators as an inter-physician communication training aid

Peter M. Bloemendaal and E. Beekhuizen, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands

ABSTRACT:

Communication between physicians is essential for hospitalized patient's care. The basis of this communication is a written medical chart containing all aspects of the illness of the patient, including treatment strategy, and follow-up. Training of this communication skill will take place mainly in the clinical phase of the medical study, because good training requires other participating physicians and real patients. Leiden University Medical Center and the Academic Medical Center have concluded a joint project to develop twenty computer-based simulations in the Dynamic Patient SimulatorÆ (DPS) with emphasis on the training of inter-physician communication. Each of these cases covers a different medical specialist. Two students, one from each medical school, treat one virtual patient together. They will "play" a physician while communicating about all aspects of the diagnostic process and treatment plan in the electronic chart. The case in which the illness of the virtual patient is modulated develops over a one-week period and is simulated in real time. This means that the two students have to return to their virtual patient several times during the week to evaluate the clinical findings and the results of their treatment.

Internet connects the two medical schools. The computer simulations are placed on a central server and distributed by Windows Based Terminal (WBT). With the WBT technology a simple client computer can be used, because only the screen updates are sent over the network. An additional benefit is that even "old" computers with a WBT client installed on it, can be used for this technology. Furthermore the WBT client is also available as a plug-in for Internet Explorer and makes it possible for the students to "see" their virtual patient on all Internet connected personal computers in the world. Besides the communication the students have through the DPS-system, an ordinary mail message will be sent, whenever a student transfers the treatment of a patient to his colleague, informing the other student of the status of their virtual patient.

BENEFIT TO PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING SESSION:

Twenty cases for inter-physician communication training were created with DPS; an authoring system for creating patient simulations that modulates the state of the patient in time. This program is available for the Windows Based Platform both in English and in Dutch. One of the twenty cases has been translated into English and will be demonstrated.

Peter Mark Bloemendaal

Leiden University Medical Center

Department of Surgery, K6-R

P.O. Box 9600

2300 RC Leiden

The Netherlands

Phone: +31 71 5263628

Fax: +31 71 5266750

Email: mailto:P.M.Bloemendaal@lumc.nl

Website: http://www.lumc.nl/dps

CO-AUTHORS:

Esther Beekhuizen