A lump model for medical students’ clinical evaluation

Abstract

Introduction: Soft tissue masses are commonly encountered in surgical and general medical practice. The graduating medical student  should therefore be competent in the physical examination of a lump. Paucity of real patients makes it paramount that models be used  for teaching and evaluation. This study purposed to describe the perception of graduating medical students to the use of a low-cost lump model for Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).

Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of final year medical students  who participated in a surgery OSCE utilizing an innovative low-cost lump model.

Results: One hundred and sixty students undertook the  OSCE examination while 130 (81.3%) students completed the survey questionnaire. One hundred and forty students (87.5%) passed  (score ³ 5) the skills assessment using the lump model. The median age of the students who completed the questionnaire was 25 (range 24-27) years. There were more males N=84 (65.6%) than females N= 44 (34.4%). Two thirds (67.2%; n=84) of the students said the model  simulated a true lump. Nearly all the students agreed that the signs of site (97.6%; n=127), size (97.6%; n=127), shape (95.4%; n=124) and  transillumination (95.4%; n=124) were clearly demonstrable with the model. A lower proportion of agreements were seen with signs such  as tenderness (64.6%; n=82), attachment (77.7%; n=80) and warmth (58.6%; n=75) while more students disagreed with pulsatility (51.5%;  n=67)

Conclusion: The medical students had a positive perception to the use of the model. However, further refinements would be  needed for more signs to be demonstrable.