Would it be pertinent to promote the use of the simulated patient in Cuban medical education?

Abstract

Introduction: the point of balance between the medical care and teaching needs usually faces various dilemmas, which limit the direct contact of the student with the patient. A possible alternative is the use of simulation.
Objective: to reassess the relevance of promoting the use of the simulated or standardized patient in Cuban medical education.
Methods: the documentary review (empirical) and the analytical-synthetic method (theoretical) were used. For the bibliographic review, carried out from January to May 2022, the resources available in Infomed were used , specifically Ebsco , PubMed and SciELO, the databases were accessed: MEDLINE, Academic Search Premier, MedicLatina and Scopus . Various types of articles published in scientific journals by authors from various countries were analyzed and those related to medical education were prioritized. Thus, out of 47 consulted, 20 were selected, 16 of them correspond to the five-year period 2018-2022.
Results: initially, what is meant by simulation within the teaching-learning process and the recent evolution of simulators are analyzed; The use of simulated patients in medical education is discussed, with a methodological analysis and evaluations that are supported, both in the review and in the experience of the authors, who adopt a position in this regard.
Conclusions: It is pertinent to promote the use of the simulated patient in the teaching-learning process that takes place in Cuban medical universities, particularly as a type or variant of the in-service training education. Its balanced combination with real patients would be optimal in the training of health professionals.