Carolyn Baylor1, Michael I Burns2, Jennie Struijk3, Lindsay Herron2, Helen Mach1, Kathryn Yorkston1. 1. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. 2. Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle. 3. Department of Health Sciences Academic Services, University of Washington, Seattle.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the believability of standardized patients portraying individuals with communication disorders as part of a larger study in which standardized patients help train medical and allied health students about communication disorders. METHOD: Two women portrayed persons with aphasia, and 2 men depicted persons with dysarthria associated with Parkinson's disease. Two stakeholder groups rated believability. Speech-language pathologists rated believability of videos online. Persons with aphasia rated aphasia videos during in-person sessions with the researchers. RESULTS: Targeted believability was 80 or higher (0-100 scale; 0 = not at all believable, 100 = very believable). For speech-language pathologist raters, average ratings met the target for the portrayals of the aphasia characteristics of word-finding problems, agrammaticism, nonverbal communication, and overall portrayal but not for auditory comprehension problems. Targets for the portrayals were met for the dysarthria characteristics of reduced speech movements, reduced loudness, reduced intonation, flat affect, and overall portrayal but not for speech rate. Ratings for different standardized patients portraying the same case were not significantly different from each other on most characteristics. Ratings from persons with aphasia were highly variable. CONCLUSION: Standardized patients who do not have communication disorders can portray disorder characteristics in a believable manner.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the believability of standardized patients portraying individuals with communication disorders as part of a larger study in which standardized patients help train medical and allied health students about communication disorders. METHOD: Two women portrayed persons with aphasia, and 2 men depicted persons with dysarthria associated with Parkinson's disease. Two stakeholder groups rated believability. Speech-language pathologists rated believability of videos online. Persons with aphasia rated aphasia videos during in-person sessions with the researchers. RESULTS: Targeted believability was 80 or higher (0-100 scale; 0 = not at all believable, 100 = very believable). For speech-language pathologist raters, average ratings met the target for the portrayals of the aphasia characteristics of word-finding problems, agrammaticism, nonverbal communication, and overall portrayal but not for auditory comprehension problems. Targets for the portrayals were met for the dysarthria characteristics of reduced speech movements, reduced loudness, reduced intonation, flat affect, and overall portrayal but not for speech rate. Ratings for different standardized patients portraying the same case were not significantly different from each other on most characteristics. Ratings from persons with aphasia were highly variable. CONCLUSION: Standardized patients who do not have communication disorders can portray disorder characteristics in a believable manner.
Authors: Marie-Dominique Beaulieu; Michèle Rivard; Eveline Hudon; Danielle Saucier; Martine Remondin; Robert Favreau Journal: Int J Qual Health Care Date: 2003-06 Impact factor: 2.038