JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Standardized Patients (SP) are essential stakeholders in the Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs) that are increasingly used to assess medical school applicants' interpersonal skills. However, there is little evidence for their inclusion in the development of instruments.

Objective:

This study aims to describe the process and evaluate the impact of having SP create a global measurement question that assesses medical school applicants’ readiness for medical school and acceptance status.

Methods:

This study used an exploratory sequential mixed-methods study design. A single question to measure readiness for medical school was collaboratively developed in a workshop by 21 SP, three Simulation Specialists, and two researchers. This question and the additional rubric items were evaluated through statistical tests based on applicant data. Internal reliability of the MMI was measured using a Cronbach’s alpha test and predicting admission status was tested using a forward stepwise binary logistic regression.

Results:

The evaluation of the developed rubric was assessed based on the 1,084 applicants across three cohorts. Cronbach's alpha was >0.8 overall and in each cohort year. The final stepwise logistic model for all cohorts combined was statistically significant (p < .001), explained 9.2% (R2) of the variance in acceptance status, and correctly classified 65.5% of cases. The final model consisted of three variables: Empathy, Rank of Readiness, and Opening the Encounter.

Conclusions:

This study indicates that SP can effectively create a global question to evaluate applicants in the MMI. SP bring a critical perspective that can improve the admissions process for medical schools. Clinical Trial: none