An Objective Structured Clinical Exam on Breaking Bad News for Clerkship Students: In-Person Versus Remote Standardized Patient Approach
Lead Author: Lona Prasad, MD
Submitted by: Amy Lorion, National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners

This article describes what happened when a breaking-bad-news OSCE was moved from in-person to virtual delivery due to COVID restrictions. The OSCE involves a miscarriage case, a distressing situation that, as the authors note, “calls for communication that incorporates patience and empathy.” The authors understandably wondered what would happen when moving such a scenario to what can be an impersonal technological tool.

The authors compared results of the virtual OSCE to those from the in-person version and noticed the following: students who participated virtually were more likely than those who had participated in-person to admit their lack of knowledge, to show listening body language, to correct the SPs’ misunderstandings, and to assess the SPs’ perception and understanding. The authors posit some possible factors, such as the technology creating a safe distance as well as forcing the “visual focus” onto the other person. The appendices include the case and assessment materials.

Read the full article here.

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