Medical students (N=284) from four Northeastern medical schools interacted with standardized patients, then were given a free-response form (blank form for writing diagnostic impressions) and then they completed a cued-response form, which listed a series of diagnoses generated by the case author. The patients also completed a checklist. (MLW)

Faculty from 5 New England medical schools developed 36 patient cases representing a variety of common ambulatory-care problems. Students were tested by interacting with 16 different standardized patients, who were nonphysicians trained to accurately and consistently portray a patient in a simulated clinical setting. (Author/MLW)