Values and Uncertainty at End of Life: A Standardized Patient Case for Preclinical Medical Students

Introduction: Physician learners desire more and higher-quality education on end-of-life care. Challenges include the inherent difficulties of clinical uncertainty and how to provide meaningful experiences for early learners. This standardized patient (SP) encounter features a patient facing a newly terminal diagnosis. The patient's goals and values are not specific, and the encounter has an open-ended resolution. This low-stakes formative exercise was administered to preclinical medical students. Methods: = 175, 96% of the class) later provided feedback as part of an overall curriculum evaluation. Results: = 6.3/7.0). On retrospective evaluation, students felt the case accessed the uncertainty learning objective (98% agreed or strongly agreed). Discussion: The case feasibly targeted the uncertainty- and prognosis-related learning objectives. Students found it challenging but performed well and rated their experience positively. We discuss overall strengths and areas for improvement as well as options for future implementation.