Simulated (Standardized) Patients in Family Medicine Education
DOI: 10.3238/zfa.2010.0152
Das Jenaer Programm – eine Pilotstudie
PDF german translation / full articleKeywords: primary care family medicine medical education simulated patients communication training
The Jena Program – a Pilot Study
Background: Communication skills are of central importance for an effective interaction with primary care patients.
Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to improve by a specific training communication skills of medical students taking a medical history.
Methods: Simulated (standardized) patients provide a secure setting to prove and exercise communication skills for medical students taking a medical history. Central didactical elements of the training were the structured feedback of simulated (standardized) patients, peers and teachers at verbal and non-verbal communication (including video feedback). Subsequently alternative activities were developed and tested. This pilot was a longitudinal pre-post-study to capture the communication skills with standardized self-rating and external-rating instruments.
Results: 16 medical students showed an enhancement of self-rating and external-rating communication skills. Patients'conversation time from the first question until the first interruption by the physician teacher was increased after the training.
The limitations of this study (low number of cases and missing representativeness of the sample) call for prospective controlled studies to verify whether the Jena Communication Training improves the communication skills of medical students.
(State: 07.09.2010)
