Role-Play Simulation Outperforms Mannequin Training in Neck-Stabilization Skills

A quasi-experimental study of final-year medical students found that both simulation modules improved multiple-choice knowledge scores and OSCE performance, but role play with colleagues produced higher post-test results than mannequin-based practice. The study enrolled 72 students; 66 participated, according to the abstract, and the investigators compared pre-test and post-test scores within and between the two groups. The results support role-play simulation-based training as the more effective of the two approaches tested, particularly for practical performance and retention at one month.

Students assigned to the mannequin module practiced neck stabilization using training manikquins, while students in the role-play module practiced the technique with colleagues acting as partners. The researchers assessed knowledge with a multiple-choice questionnaire and practical ability with an Objective Structured Clinical Examination, or OSCE. Mean post-test MCQ scores were 8.24 ± 0.90 for the mannequin group and 8.82 ± 0.39 for the role-play group.

In the OSCE, the corresponding means were 8.00 ± 0.61 for mannequin training and 8.54 ± 1.09 for role play. The abstract reports statistically significant differences between the modules, with the between-group difference especially notable in OSCE results after one month. It also reports that all students improved from pre-test to post-test, indicating that both formats were associated with learning gains.

The findings do not establish why role play performed better, and the study was quasi-experimental rather than a randomized trial. The supplied abstract does not specify whether assignment was random, provide pre-test means, report effect sizes or confidence intervals, or give exact statistical test values. It also does not establish that the analytical results included every one of the 66 participating students.

These limits mean that the numerical difference between the modules should be interpreted as a result from this particular educational comparison, not as proof that role play will outperform every mannequin-based course. The two modules may have differed in more than the physical presence of a mannequin, but the available evidence does not identify the specific features responsible for the gap. Within those boundaries, the study offers a focused educational finding: when teaching final-year medical students neck stabilization, structured practice with peers achieved stronger measured outcomes than the mannequin module evaluated here.

The authors concluded that role-play simulation-based training showed better knowledge retention and described it as compatible with educational standards and adaptable to institutional circumstances. In short, the comparison favors role play for the student group and training modules studied, but it does not demonstrate a universal advantage of peer simulation over all forms of mannequin instruction.

Subject of Research: Comparative educational effectiveness of role-play and mannequin simulations for neck-stabilization training

Article Title: Assessment of effectiveness of two educational simulation modules for teaching neck stabilization

Article References: Pereira, J., Zaneen, A., Kaushik, S. B., & Jain, R. (2026). Assessment of effectiveness of two educational simulation modules for teaching neck stabilization. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-10416-2

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12909-026-10416-2

Keywords: medical education, neck stabilization, role-play simulation, mannequin training, OSCE assessment, skills retention, medical students, simulation-based learning, Assessment, effectiveness, educational, simulation