Training and evaluating tobacco-specific standardized patient instructors.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES A comprehensive training program to develop tobacco-specific standardized patient instructors (SPIs) was implemented and evaluated at Wake Forest University. METHODS Descriptive statistics were used to assess SPIs' experience with the training program and medical students' perceptions of the SPI-student interaction. Two standardized scales, used to assess student performance on counseling (Tobacco Intervention Risk Factor Interview Scale [TIRFIS]) and cultural competency (Tobacco Beliefs Management Scale-Tobacco Cultural Concerns Scale [TBMS-TCCS]), were tested for internal and interrater reliability and sensitivity to varied student performance. Costs of the program were measured. RESULTS SPIs highly rated the content, organization, and presenters of the training program. Medical students positively evaluated their experience with the SPIs. The TIRFIS and TBMS-TCCS subscales demonstrated good internal reliability, and inconsistencies in ratings by different SPIs were minimal. In addition, a range of scores on both measures attest to the sensitivity of the instruments to assess variations in student performance. Significant start-up costs are associated with developing this training program, although costs decline when SPIs are retained long term. CONCLUSIONS The SPI training program was effective in developing a cohort of knowledgeable and reliable SPIs to train medical students in ways to improve their tobacco intervention counseling skills. Retaining SPIs long term should be a primary goal of implementing a cost-effective, successful training program.