Simulations for Teaching and Evaluating Nutrition-Focused Physical Exam Skills

To develop, implement, and evaluate a patient simulation to assess Nutrition-Focused Physical Exam (NFPE) skills among dietetics students.Three student cohorts (n = 47) in a combined internship and master's program participated. Curricula included: (1) formal instruction with practice resources, (2) baseline NFPE evaluation performed on a classmate, and (3) final NFPE evaluation performed on a standardized patient. Trained observers evaluated students using the NFPE Skills Assessment tool. Self-rated performance was assessed by the 8-item survey completed at baseline and after the final evaluation. Paired t tests analyzed differences in observed NFPE skill, and 1-tailed Wilcoxon signed-rank test analyzed differences in survey responses.Nutrition-Focused Physical Exam skill improvements were observed for each cohort (P.05). Surveys demonstrated increased comfort touching patients (P.001), and improved self-rated abilities to assess subcutaneous fat, muscle stores, fluid accumulation, and micronutrient deficiency (P.001).Simulations were an effective method for increasing observed and perceived NFPE skills among dietetics students. These findings justify the investigation of these methods within a larger sample of students from multiple programs with rigorous study design.