Incorporating human patient simulation in medical education: Efficacy of a student-centered approach in teaching the treatment of venomous snakebites in a medical toxicology rotation

The Institute of Medicine has challenged the medical community to find uses for human patient simulation (HPS) in improving patient safety. Medical mistakes are the eighth leading cause of death for Americans, leading to untold human suffering and a cost approximating 29 billion dollars annually. Research regarding the educational benefits of technology rarely considers teaching method, which is a known primary factor in producing significant differences. In this research study, two groups of toxicology rotators were taught how to treat patients with venomous snakebites, using either an instructor-centered or student-centered education program (SC) using HPS. Evaluation of participant performance treating a standardized patient (SP) suffering from a Timber Rattlesnake bite was performed. Quantitative and qualitative data on participant performance was collected from a SP, a faculty evaluator (FE), and the researcher. One-Way ANOVA tests of quantitative data from FE observations show SC instruction increases performance achievement significantly (p < .05). Qualitative data help to describe performance differences and the high value of student regard for constructivist instructional experiences. Conclusions drawn from this study show that SC instruction models with HPS improved performance of participants treating snakebites.