Recruitment
Simulated patients are often recruited from among local amateur or professional actors, through advertisements in local newspapers, or by word of mouth. Graduate students in nearby universities may also agree to take up these roles, especially if the position is paid. SPs need to draw on their own personal experiences with physicians, conversations with healthcare professionals, talking to specific patient populations etc. They also need to be trained to accurately and reliably simulate particular clinical scenarios. Frequent quality assessment may be needed to ensure consistency in the portrayal of the patient role, especially since SPs may absorb quite a significant amount of clinical knowledge during their interactions with healthcare professionals.
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