Evaluating Clinical Performance in Physical Therapy With Simulated Patients

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using a simulated patient (SP) to evaluate clinical performance in physical therapy. Sixteen subjects performed a history and physical examination of an SP with shoulder pain. The subjects' history taking, physical examination, and communication skills were evaluated by the SP and the investigator. A clinical reasoning test was also administered to the subjects. Subjects found the SP to be very realistic. Interrater and intrarater reliability of the SP met acceptable levels. The evaluation instruments possessed good construct validity, demonstrating higher levels of performance in the more experienced subjects. The use of an SP and a series of well-designed evaluation instruments were found to possess a high degree of validity and reliability for measuring clinical performance.