Impact of structured sexual health training incorporating standardised patients on health professions students' sexual health communication competence: A single-blind randomised controlled trial in Tanzania.

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the effect of a structured sexual health training programme incorporating standardised patients (SPs) on health professions students' sexual health communication competence, as assessed by SPs, in a Tanzanian setting.

Design: Single-blind randomised controlled trial with parallel-group allocation.

Setting: Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Participants: A total of 312 undergraduate medical and nursing students were enrolled at the university.

Intervention: Structured sexual health training incorporating didactic teaching, small-group discussions, role-play, and SP-based practice sessions.

Outcome measures: Sexual health communication competence was assessed using SP-rated checklists at baseline and at six-month follow-up.

Results: Of 310 health profession students, 73.5% were in their final year. The mean age was 24.29 years (SD = 2.51). 22.6% were female, and 60.0% reported prior sexual health training. Baseline competence scores were similar across groups. At the six-month follow-up, competence improved in both groups, with greater gains in the treatment group. Mixed ANOVA showed a significant time effect (p < .001) and a time-by-group interaction (p = .002). Exploratory item-level analyses indicated higher scores in the treatment group across most sexual health communication competencies, particularly in rapport, empathy, and information-gathering, with no significant difference observed for clear and understandable language.

Conclusion: Structured SP-based sexual health training incorporating SPs significantly improved sexual health communication competence during simulated consultations, particularly in patient-engagement domains. These findings support incorporating culturally adapted sexual health training into healthcare education and using SP assessments to evaluate communication competence in sensitive clinical contexts.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06428058. Registered 30 November 2023.