Patient Simulations

Experimental use of patient simulations in medical education have been going on for the past fifteen years. The purpose of these simulations is to offer students a patient on whom they can practice taking medical history, perform physical examination, additional research, draw up a differential diagnosis and a treatment plan.  

A student is provided with different kinds of feedback generated by the program. The feedback is dependent on the performance of the student and the state of the patient.

Patient simulations can be divided into groups. Although this division is not formal, we distinguish three different types of simulations, static patient simulations, dynamic patient simulations and virtual patient simulations.

Additionally we can distinguish between patient simulations and courseware. Within this last category of computer based training programs a medical problem is discussed with a student on the basis of a patient. These programs do not provide students with the opportunity to use their knowledge and practice their medical skills. 

The DPS program and this webside are copyright of Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands.