The Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) Standards of Best Practice (SOBP)

Abstract

In this paper, we define the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) Standards of Best Practice (SOBP) for those working with human role players who interact with learners in a wide range of experiential learning and assessment contexts. These human role players are variously described by such terms as standardized/simulated patients or simulated participants (SP or SPs). ASPE is a global organization whose mission is to share advances in SP-based pedagogy, assessment, research, and scholarship as well as support the professional development of its members. The SOBP are intended to be used in conjunction with the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) Standards of Best Practice: SimulationSM, which address broader simulation practices. We begin by providing a rationale for the creation of the ASPE SOBP, noting that with the increasing use of simulation in healthcare training, it is incumbent on ASPE to establish SOBP that ensure the growth, integrity, and safe application of SP-based educational endeavors. We then describe the three and a half year process through which these standards were developed by a consensus of international experts in the field. Key terms used throughout the document are defined. Five underlying values inform the SOBP: safety, quality, professionalism, accountability, and collaboration. Finally, we describe five domains of best practice: safe work environment; case development; SP training for role portrayal, feedback, and completion of assessment instruments; program management; and professional development. Each domain is divided into principles with accompanying key practices that provide clear and practical guidelines for achieving desired outcomes and creating simulations that are safe for all stakeholders. Failure to follow the ASPE SOBP could compromise the safety of participants and the effectiveness of a simulation session. Care has been taken to make these guidelines precise yet flexible enough to address the diversity of varying contexts of SP practice. As a living document, these SOBP will be reviewed and modified periodically under the direction of the ASPE Standards of Practice Committee as SP methodology grows and adapts to evolving simulation practices.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s41077-017-0043-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Students as patients: A systematic review of peer simulation in health care professional education

“…Simulated patient methodology describes the key components needed to support SPs to portray the patient role, which include an explanation of the patient's story, a demonstration of the interaction and rehearsal of the scenario . This reflects the recommendations of the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) that those portraying a simulated role are ‘provided with adequate information and training to allow for an effective portrayal.’ In the context of the studies included in this review, these recommendations do not appear to have been consistently applied to peer simulation in that variable implementations of script provision, video demonstration, performance checking and rehearsal time are evident. Additionally, none of the studies included defined effective role portrayal or measured the accuracy of HCP students' patient portrayals to investigate the impact on learning.…”

Nurse Practitioner Student Perceptions of Face-to-Face and Telehealth Standardized Patient Simulations

“…Following the Association of Standardized Patients Educators Standards of Best Practice (Lewis et al, 2017), the SPs were trained to present consistently and to react appropriately to students' history questions and physical assessment maneuvers. The clinical presenter was also trained to perform the physical assessments associated with the cases and to report findings consistently.…”

The Brandenburg reformed medical curriculum: study locally, work locally

“…As with the practical assessments, the teaching format for TRIK makes use of simulated patients, meaning that lay actors take the role of patients [14]. This enables students to practice using their current knowledge in appropriate role play exercises without importuning real patients.…”