Computer-simulated clinical encounters. I. Development, utilization, and evaluation of a program.

Positive findings from the two-year pilot study indicated no significant difference in academic learning and clinical performance when students substituted computer-simulated experiences for hospital-based clinical experiences. There was also strong evidence that the time spent by students in fewer hospital-based clinical experiences was more decisively monitored by faculty. Based on these positive findings, the computer-simulated clinical encounters are being continued as part of the established curriculum in the coordinated undergraduate program in dietetics at The Ohio State University.