Table 3 Clinical skills simulations (“standardized patients” are live actors playing the role; “simulated patients” are high-technology mannequins that are operated by faculty)
From: Teaching global health with simulations and case discussions in a medical student selective
Clinical theme | Exercise | Simulation method | Simulated site | Selected activity objectives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Emergency care/Trauma response | Obstetrical emergencies in a rural primary health care facility | Standardized patients | Liberia | • Triage clinical emergencies in resource-limited settings (i.e. maternal sepsis, labor and delivery outside a clinical setting, and post-partum hemorrhage) |
• Appreciate maternal health disparities and cultural determinants of child-maternal health | ||||
Disaster relief after a tsunami | Simulated patients | Indonesia | • Review the minimum standards for health systems in humanitarian relief settings | |
• Develop clinical skills for the management of trauma in a disaster setting | ||||
Communicable diseases | Infant and adult diarrhea in a primary health care facility | Simulated patients | Haiti | • Identify public and personal/family sanitation measures for prevention of communicable diseases |
• Work in health care teams | ||||
TB screening and management in urban primary health care facility | Standardized patients | Peru | • Study examples of public health policies for infection control | |
• Develop patient communication methods for unexpected or poor patient outcomes | ||||
Malaria eradication | Hypothetical exercise with student presentations | Namibia | • Understand the magnitude and common obstacles of public health campaigns | |
• Apply evidence-based medicine in resource-limited areas | ||||
Non-communicable diseases | Hypertension screening and education in an urban community | Standardized patients | Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo | • Develop effective communication and education tools based on health literacy level |
• Explore and understand traditional belief systems and social/cultural determinants of health | ||||
Smoking cessation counseling | Standardized patients | China | • Understand the public health impact of tobacco use globally | |
• Practice motivational interviewing | ||||
Diabetes in an urban community | Standardized patients | Ecuador | • Demonstrate clinical empathy | |
• Explore and respond appropriately to traditional healing methods and beliefs | ||||
Psycho-social illness | Physical and psychological trauma from torture | Standardized patients | Democratic Republic of Congo | • Appreciate the psychological, social, and physical impact of conflict and torture |
• Foster a safe and trusting healing environment | ||||
Language and communication | Working with interpreters | Standardized patients | NYC | • Develop skills that maximize communication using interpreters |
• Identify and address cross-cultural barriers to clinical communication |