The Relationship between Medical Students’ Assessment of Standardized Patients and Patient‐Physician Interaction Score

When standardized patients (SPs) are used for educational purposes, the authenticity of role play and the quality of feedback are essential requirements of SPs. This study was conducted to investigate medical students’ assessment of SPs and to identify the components of SPs’ performance that were most strongly correlated with patient–physician interaction score. One hundred and forty-two fourth-year medical students were asked to complete the Maastricht Assessment of Simulated Patients (MaSP) at the end of a clinical performance examination. SPs evaluated the patient–physician interactions using a 4-point Likert scale (1=poor to 4=excellent). Medical students’ assessment of SPs using the MaSP was positively correlated with patient–physician interactions (r=0.325, p<0.01). Items addressing the authenticity of role play (e.g., “SPs appear authentic,” “SPs might be real patients,” and “SPs answer questions in a natural manner”) were closely correlated with patient–physician interactions (p