摘要：The number of U.S. medical students is increasing. Schools plan to train the majority of these additional students through class expansion in existing programs. Larger class sizes require more faculty and innovative teaching methods. Since 2005, the authors have investigated the use of simulated patients (SPs) to introduce biochemistry concepts in a large classroom. Methods: On the first day of medical school, the entire class was introduced to trained-actors (simulated patients) experiencing difficulty breathing. During a clinician-facilitated mock interview the students learned about the basic elements of patient assessment, differential diagnosis and common causes of hyperventilation. Following completion of all basic science courses, two, three or four years after the SP experience, students completed a survey describing their recollection of the session, its impact on their understanding of the relationship between biochemistry and clinical medicine, their subsequent studying related to the biochemistry course, and whether such sessions would have been useful in other basic science courses. Results: Of 497 students contacted, 290 completed the survey. Almost 90% of respondents found the SP sessions engaging, over 75% reported a better understanding of the importance of biochemistry to the practice of medicine, and in excess of 70% reported an increased desire to study basic sciences, especially if more courses incorporated SP experiences. The number of SP encounters used in the biochemistry course has increased during the past six years. Conclusions: Students find early clinical encounters with simulated patients, in large classrooms an engaging way to introduce basic science concepts and report that their utility as a teaching method should be expanded.
