Abstract

Involving patients as educators: adding value to clinical experience

Author(s): Patsy Stark, Martin Hague, Nigel Bax

Simulated and standardised patients have contributed to medical education for over 40 years. Building on this principle, patients are now becoming more involved with teaching, providing feedback and assessing healthcare students and contributing to curriculum design. Involving patients in the education of healthcare students offers wide ranging benefits to students, provides the patients with greater understanding of their illness and affords them the opportunity to contribute to the education and training of future healthcare professionals. In this paper the Patient as Educator programme at the University of Sheffield is described and the evaluation of one format of educational engagement is presented.