Similar to the data gleaned from the 2003-2004 school survey
Osteopathic Medical Education in the United States: Improving the Future of Medicine,
8 which showed that 15 (79%) of 19 COMs in 2003 reported the use of standardized patients, a comparison of 2005 data with the previous survey
5 revealed a nearly 20% increase in SPP use at COMs. Many factors have likely contributed to this increase. For example, the use of SPPs in international medical education and the emerging supporting evidence in medical education literature and at academic meetings over the past decade have grown.
2-4,9-12 As reported in the current study, most COMs have moved SPPs out of the dean's offices to other departments, which can increase program visibility and therefore increase program support and widespread usage. Meanwhile, the public has mandated for a reduction in medical errors, error management, and patient safety, as well as improved patient autonomy and enhanced physician-patient communication skills.
13 Likewise, many curricular objectives emphasize clinical skills such as physician-patient communication, professionalism, and osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) and osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), which OGME programs and the American Osteopathic Association have adopted with the integration of core competencies.
14,15 And, of course, the COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE, a multistation performance evaluation of clinical skills using standardized patients, has been incorporated into the licensure examination pathway for osteopathic physicians.
16 With the 2008 requirement that all graduates pass this examination, SPP use at COMs can only be expected to continue to rise.
6 However, as the data provided in the current study are self-reported, caution must be exercised in interpreting the results.