Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Medical specialties, including surgery, obstetrics, anesthesia, critical care, and trauma, have adopted simulation technology for measuring clinical competency as a routine part of their residency training programs; yet, simulation technologies have rarely been adapted or used for psychiatry training.

OBJECTIVE:

The authors describe the development of a web-based computer simulation tool intended to assess physician competence in obtaining informed consent before prescribing antipsychotic medication to a simulated patient with symptoms of psychosis.

METHOD:

Eighteen residents participated in a pilot study of the Computer Simulation Assessment Tool (CSAT). Outcome measures included physician performance on required elements, pre- and post-test measures of physician confidence in obtaining informed consent, and levels of system usability.

RESULTS:

Data suggested that the CSAT increased physician confidence in obtaining informed consent and that it was easy to use.

CONCLUSIONS:

The CSAT was an effective educational tool in simulating patient-physician interactions, and it may serve as a model for use of other web-based simulations to augment traditional teaching methods in residency education.