The C-ASE Project: computer-assisted simulated examination.

Simulations of clinical scenarios for medical education can take a number of forms, including paper-based tutorials, interactive computer programs, and Standardized Patients (SPs). The fidelity of a simulation to the situation it mimics may have a great deal to do with its educational effectiveness. It was hypothesized that it is possible to create simulation experiences on a microcomputer that occupy a middle ground between the low-fidelity simulation of paper-based tutorials and many interactive computer programs, and high-fidelity simulation of SPs. The C-ASE (computer-assisted simulated examination) project, developed to test this hypothesis, incorporates a simulated three-dimensional environment and digital video of patients and clinic staff.