A comparison of real patients, simulated patients and videotaped interview in teaching medical students about alcohol misuse.

Doctors perform poorly in identifying and in treating patients with alcohol misuse problems and this has been linked to inadequate undergraduate education. We compared three methods of teaching among Aberdeen medical students. In groups of eight or nine students, teaching was conducted with a simulated patient, with real patients or with a videotaped interview. The teachers were five consultant psychiatrists. At the end of each teaching session, students completed a measure of knowledge (multiple-choice questions), two measures of attitudes towards alcohol misusers and a questionnaire tailored to assessment of the teaching session. From the class of 176 students, 156 (89%) participated in the study. Two-way analyses of variance identified a significant difference between teaching methods; students rated the simulated patient sessions as more helpful in acquiring interview skills (F = 11.71, df 2, p < 0.001). We have since expanded our use of simulated patients in the undergraduate teaching programme.