​Standardized Patient Bank

​The Standardized Patient (SP) Bank has been established by the Department for Educational Development (DED), Aga Khan University (AKU) for teaching, learning and assessment in the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes of the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS). Currently the SP Bank at AKU has 100 registered simulated patients and 5 real patients. 

This SP Bank strengthens the curriculum by introducing students to clinical and communication skills from the very beginning of the curriculum as novice students need​ a safe environment to learn, make mistakes and practice these skills, before they apply these skills on real patients. The SPs give feedback​​​​​ to the students on their performance thus help in boosting their confidence. The use of SPs is very convenient since it provides cases according to educational needs at the time and place they are needed. 

​​​The SP Bank includes healthy people, actual patients with chronic but stable health problems as well as actors who are trained by clinical faculty to act out situations in a consistent manner according to the need of the programme and demands of educational experience.


Mission 

Our mission is to support and improve the use of the standardized patients within the framework of medical education at AKU. We are committed to the idea that SP simulations are important because they help to consolidate interpersonal and clinical skills, deepen awareness of patients'​ needs, and emphasize the importance of the human element in medical education.