Integration of simulation-based patient teaching for medical students

Abstract

Medical education has adopted simulation-based training as a revolutionary method to overcome traditional academic difficulties that prevent students from connecting theoretical knowledge to real-world clinical practice. The research assesses the effects of high-fidelity simulation with the advanced human simulation mannequin on medical student development of diagnostic and therapeutic competencies. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 160 fourth-year medical students, divided into an experimental group (n=106) exposed to 23 structured simulation sessions and a control group (n=54) receiving conventional training. The assessment of clinical competency used pre- and post-training Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), and confidence levels were evaluated through a 5-point Likert scale. The analysis used paired and independent *t*-tests to examine the data. The experimental group achieved a 27.9% improvement in OSCE scores after training (61 to 78/100, *p* < 0.001) which exceeded the control group's 9.4% improvement (64 to 70/100, *p* = 0.012). The simulation cohort experienced a 54–63% increase in self-efficacy scores, which ranged from 2.4–3.1 to 4.0–4.3, while controls experienced a 15–25% increase. The greatest improvements occurred in procedural confidence and diagnostic accuracy. The results confirm previous research that demonstrates that simulation training improves clinical reasoning abilities, procedural mastery, and communication competencies. Strategic planning must address scalability and resource demands. High-fidelity simulation provides substantial improvements to clinical competency and confidence, which supports its adoption in medical curricula. Future research needs to focus on longitudinal skill retention and cost-effectiveness analyses and cross-cultural adaptations to achieve optimal equitable implementation.