From leadership research to district action: Validating simulated patient programmes in Obstetrics and Gynaecology education: a mixed-method study on training effectiveness and stakeholder perceptions in the GCC

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Evidence and transfer

Education-related source: verify which participants, institutions and outcomes were actually studied before district adoption. Source publication type: research-article. License and identity checks do not establish study quality or causality.

Original authors’ abstract, reproduced under the source license:

Abstract Background Simulated patients (SPs) are widely used in medical education to help students acquire clinical skills in a safe and realistic setting. In fields such as obstetrics and gynaecology (OB-GYN), where real-patient interactions can be limited due to cultural sensitivities—especially in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries—SPs play a crucial role in medical education. This study aimed to validate the training of SPs for assessing OB-GYN history-taking skills and explore the perceptions of stakeholders – including faculty, students, leadership and SPs – regarding the implementation, challenges and potential improvements of the SP programme. Methods A mixed-methods research design was employed in this study. During the quantitative phase, training of SPs using a structured OB-GYN history-taking module was conducted, followed by an evaluation of their performance by expert raters. The inter-rater reliability was assessed using Fleiss’ Kappa and Cronbach’s alpha. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with students, SPs, faculty trainers and academic leaders. Thematic analysis was performed to identify common themes and divergent viewpoints. Results Quantitative results showed moderate-to-high inter-rater reliability, indicating consistent and effective SP performance post-training. Qualitative findings revealed that stakeholders perceived that the usage of SPs results in the enhancement of student engagement, realism and communication skills. However, challenges such as cultural sensitivities, limited SP diversity and logistical constraints were highlighted. Stakeholders emphasised the need for culturally contextualised training, periodic feedback loops and institutional support. Conclusions The study confirms that structured training can effectively prepare simulated patients for OB-GYN education in GCC settings. By integrating stakeholder feedback, this study provides valuable insights for refining SP programmes and addressing region-specific challenges. A more culturally aware and well-supported SP programme can boost student confidence and improve learning outcomes in sensitive clinical areas like OB-GYN. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-025-07912-2. Keywords: Simulated patients, Medical education, History-taking, Obstetrics and gynaecology, Reproductive health, SP training, SP validation, Competency-based education, Inter-rater reliability, Cross-cultural communication

Study methods

The medical programme at the host institution is a six-year programme in which the first year is dedicated to basic science and foundational courses, while years 2, 3 and 4 follow a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum through an integrative approach based on various body systems. Years 5 and 6 focus mainly on clinical training. Students are divided into small groups and complete rotations across disciplines such as Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Internal Medicine and Clinical Electives in year 5, while Surgery (including Orthopaedics, Urology, Anaesthesia, and Accident & Emergency), Family Medicine, Psychiatry, ENT and Ophthalmology rotations are scheduled in year 6 [20].

Limitations

Although this study provides rich, multi-stakeholder insights into the SP programme within a GCC medical college, its numerous limitations must be acknowledged. First, the study was conducted in a single institution, which may limit the transferability of findings to other cultural or institutional contexts. The small sample size—both in the preliminary validation phase and qualitative inquiry, especially for leadership and SP groups—potentially constrains the breadth of perspectives. Additionally, the potential rater and social desirability biases may have influenced participant responses.

A 90-day district inquiry

Days 1–15 · Appraise. Read the source methods, recruitment, comparator, outcomes and limitations. Record how the study setting differs from your district and which claim the design can support.
Days 16–30 · Design. Choose one school improvement question with teachers. Protect a short shared planning cycle, agree an instructional change and use a common rubric for examining student work. Agree participation, privacy protections, baseline and stopping rules before starting.
Days 31–60 · Observe. Collect the pre-agreed measures, keep a log of implementation changes and invite confidential voluntary feedback. Preserve existing support for staff and learners.
Days 61–90 · Decide. Review implementation fidelity, teacher time and independently scored student work against a recorded baseline. Examine access differences and competing explanations before attributing changes to leadership. Make a dated decision to stop, revise or extend the inquiry.

Board decision brief

Present the local problem, source setting, evidence limits, intervention, responsible owner, total cost, measured changes and uncertainty. Separate staff perceptions, implementation measures and student learning outcomes.

Attribution and reuse

Archana Prabu Kumar; Diaa Rizk; Zainab Al Jufairi; Taysir Garadah; Amal A K Alsubaiei; Hany Atwa; Mohamed Hany Shehata; Ahmed Al-Ansari; Abdelhalim Deifalla. Validating simulated patient programmes in Obstetrics and Gynaecology education: a mixed-method study on training effectiveness and stakeholder perceptions in the GCC. BMC Medical Education (2025-10-17). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07912-2

Prepared 2026-11-07. Source authorship and DOI are preserved. The abstract and source passages are attributed extracts; this editorial guide is offered under the same CC BY 4.0 license.