Uses of Simulation
The techniques used may vary greatly and may include a full manikin as used in resuscitation courses or a part of it i.e. pelvic area for the examination of prostate, breast or forearm for a practical procedure like cannulation. They can also include computer simulations (Lang et al., 2006, Burden et al., 2011) and real life trained actors as used in many Royal College examinations. Simulation in communication skills:
It is important to emphasise again that skills of communication not only involve verbal, but also nonverbal clues and precisely for this reason, simulation based training is ideal for teaching communication skills as it provides one to one practical interaction with the simulator. It also has the advantage of not “upsetting” the patient. In addition, simulation based communication offers the advantage of breaking a complex process into small steps, which the learner can take on board, working at his or her own pace which is not possible in a real life
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A suitable example would be a learner’s attempt to evaluate his own ethical practice in communication with patients. Both of these stages are generally expected to be covered in the medical school curricula and they complement each other. The third stage “shows how” is where theoretical knowledge and skills are integrated to demonstrate certain skills such as, performing a specific communication skills task. This could be a simple communication like explaining the diagnosis of diabetes to a patient or breaking a bad news. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) assesses this area and is used to assess many communication courses. The fourth and the most advanced stage; “does” is the application of learning process in day-to-day practice. This needs an ongoing assessment e.g.