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. 2025 Jun 1;20(3):144-149.
doi: 10.1097/SIH.0000000000000836. Epub 2024 Nov 13.

Standardized Patient Education Focused on Equity Deserving Groups: Ten Tips for Educators and Programs-A Qualitative Study

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Standardized Patient Education Focused on Equity Deserving Groups: Ten Tips for Educators and Programs-A Qualitative Study

Urmi T Sheth et al. Simul Healthc. .

Abstract

Introduction: Health professions training programs must train future healthcare providers to meet the needs of equity-deserving patient populations. Standardized patient (SP) programs are one mechanism by which this training can occur. Our aim was to develop a set of recommendations for SP programs and educators around planning, organizing, and delivering SP-based education involving equity-deserving groups.

Methods: We undertook a qualitative analysis of interview transcripts of SPs, educators, and trainers involved in SP work with equity-deserving groups. Subsequently, we conducted a three-stage modified Delphi process to generate recommendations.

Results: We derived 10 tips to help stakeholders improve SP-based education involving equity-deserving groups. The underlying themes included collaborative involvement, including co-creation and co-delivery of content with members of equity-deserving groups, as well as consistent prioritization of the needs of SPs throughout the process.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest ways in which SP programs and educators can better train future healthcare providers to meet the needs of equity-deserving patient populations.

Keywords: Equity; diversity; equity-deserving groups; healthcare education; human simulation; inclusion; psychological safety; qualitative; standardized patient.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results. The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

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