Can a brief two-hour interdisciplinary communication skills training be successful in undergraduate medical education?

Improvement of students' communication skills through targeted training and the use of simulated patients in dental education-a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Good communication between patients and practitioners is essential, especially during dental procedures, as these treatments are often associated with increased nervousness and anxiety. The aim of this study was to investigate, implement and evaluate a concept for communication skills training by using targeted training in combination with simulation patients in dental education.

METHODS

Students (n = 34) were assigned to four small groups receiving targeted training consisting of two parts. A lecture about the theoretical basics of communication skills and two practical sessions with simulation patients. During this training, one of the students performed the conversation with the patient. Immediately after self-assessment was obtained, the simulation patient, the remaining students and the lecturer provided feedback. Additionally, anonymous surveys were administered to the students at the beginning of the semester, immediately after the training and at the end of the course.

RESULTS

The students rated the learning of communication skills as important for later professional life at all times. After targeted training followed by subsequent use in simulated patients, there was a significant improvement in communication skills (p < 0.001). The number of open-ended questions asked to patients after attending the course significantly increased (p = 0.0245). The communication training was considered useful, especially in small groups.

CONCLUSION

The implementation of targeted training with subsequent use in simulated patients significantly contributed to the students' improvement in communication skills. The concept offers a good opportunity to better prepare students for interaction with patients, both in their studies and in their upcoming professional lives.

Strategies and interventions used to provide communication education for midwifery students. A scoping review

AIM

To examine the current literature on educational strategies and interventions developed with the objective of teaching or enhancing communication skills of student midwives during their pre-registration education programmes.

DESIGN

A scoping review based on the Joanna Briggs Institute framework was conducted using predefined criteria and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist.

METHODS

A comprehensive search was conducted using various databases (Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), EMBASE, PsycINFO, Maternity and Infant Care Database (MIDIRS), Web of Science and Education Resources Information Centre (ERIC)) in October 2023.

RESULTS

A total of 120 titles and abstracts were screened. A final number of eight articles were subjected to quality appraisal and included in the scoping review. Five themes were identified which describe educational strategies and interventions including: simulation-based training, the use of role-play, pedagogical approaches, theory-based information workshops and debrief and reflection.

CONCLUSIONS

This review highlights a gap in research focusing on the importance of communication skills training for student midwives throughout midwifery education. Despite the limited numbers of studies, different interventions and educational strategies have been recognized for enhancing these skills. To equip midwives with strong communication skills, a combination of interventions is recommended, including communication-focused workshops tailored for midwifery education and debriefing and student reflection sessions specifically designed to enhanced communication skills.

REGISTRATION NUMBER

to be included in abstract after acceptance.

Development and implementation of a student tumor board as a teaching format for medical students

PURPOSE

Tumor boards serve as established platforms for interdisciplinary expert discussions and therapeutic recommendations tailored to individual patient characteristics. Despite their significance, medical students often lack exposure to such interdisciplinary discussions as tumor boards are currently not integrated into medical curricula. To address this, we aimed to enhance future physicians' interdisciplinary communication skills and subject-specific knowledge by introducing an interactive series of five linked tumor board seminars within the domain of neuro-oncology.

METHODS

We developed a neuro-oncological student tumor board using a flipped-classroom format. The primary objectives of this case-centered approach included fostering an understanding of the tumor board process, active participation in multidisciplinary case discussions, honing appropriate communication strategies, and creating personalized therapy plans that consider inputs from all relevant disciplines, individual patient factors, and ethical considerations. To gauge the effectiveness of the seminar series, we administered structured pre- and post-course questionnaires.

RESULTS

Fourteen medical students in third to fifth year participated in the pilot series. Despite its organizational complexity, the interdisciplinary seminars were feasible. Students demonstrated significant growth in competence, aligned with predefined learning objectives. Notably, they appreciated the supportive learning environment and interactive teaching format, which kindled their interest in interdisciplinary oncology.

CONCLUSION

Active participation in a student tumor board can empower students to tackle the diverse challenges of caring for cancer patients within an interdisciplinary team during the early stages of their careers. The student tumor board represents an innovative, learner-centered approach to teach interdisciplinary cancer treatment, communication strategies, and ethical aspects of medical practice.

Impact of a training program on hospital pharmacists' patient-centered communication attitudes and behaviors

Background

Effective communication that integrates the value of patient-centered care is important in healthcare encounters. Communication skills training (CST) has been indicated as effective in improving patient-centered communication behaviors. However, there is a paucity of studies on the impact of CST among Malaysian hospital pharmacists.

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a patient-centered CST program on patient-centered communication scores, communication self-efficacy, and attitudes toward concordance among pharmacists in public hospitals.

Methods

A communication skills training (CST) program was conducted among hospital pharmacists. This training intervention was developed based on patient-centered communication frameworks and techniques, namely the Four Habits Model and motivational interviewing. A pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design was implemented for the evaluation. Pharmacists underwent pre-test/post-test audiotaped simulated consultations and completed questionnaires, including the Revised United States-Leeds Attitudes Toward Concordance scale (RUS-LATCon) and Communication Self-Efficacy scale. The Four Habits Coding Scheme (FHCS) was used to evaluate patient-centered communication scores from the audiotapes, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to analyze for differences in the pre- and post-intervention scores.

Results

A total of 38 pharmacists from four tertiary hospitals participated in this study and completed the pre-test. However, due to the impact of COVID-19, only 23 pharmacists completed the post-test data collection. Improvements were noted in the FHCS scores post-training, including items related to exploring patients' concerns, acceptability, and barriers to treatment. Based on the questionnaire, there was an improvement in recognizing patients' needs and potential medication uncertainty and an increase in the overall communication self-efficacy scores after the training.

Conclusions

CST may help improve the adoption of patient-centered communication in pharmacists' consultations with patients.

Developing communication curricula in healthcare education: An evidence-based guide

OBJECTIVE

To present a guide for communication curriculum development in healthcare professions for educators and curriculum planners.

METHODS

We collated a selection of theories, frameworks and approaches to communication curriculum development to provide a roadmap of the main factors to consider when developing or enhancing communication skills curricula.

RESULTS

We present an evidence-based guide for developing and enhancing communication curriculum that can be applied to undergraduate and postgraduate healthcare education. Recommended steps to consider during the communication curricula development process include thoughtful examination of current communication education, needs assessment, focused learning goals and objectives, incorporation of experiential educational strategies allowing for skills practice and feedback and use of formative and summative assessment methods. A longitudinal, developmental and helical implementation approach contributes to reinforcement and sustainment of learners' knowledge and skills.

CONCLUSION AND PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Drawing on best practices in developing communication curricula can be helpful in ensuring successful approaches to communication skills training for any level of learner or healthcare profession. This position paper provides a guide and identifies resources for new and established communication curriculum developers to reflect on strengths and opportunities in their own approaches to addressing the communication education needs of their learners.

Training in bereavement communication - attitudes to guidance and training for clinical photographers

Bereavement is one of the most emotionally intense situations healthcare staff can find themselves in and requires extensive communication training to work in. While other healthcare staff receive specific training in bereavement, clinical photographers do not receive much, if any, in the form of bereavement communication training. The lack of training can lead to clinical photographers feeling ill-prepared to communicate with bereaved parents. This paper aims to identify if clinical photographers feel there is a need for training or written guidance and what they would wish to see included within it. A questionnaire was distributed to clinical photographers via the Institute of Medical Illustrators to gather opinions, results indicate that the majority feel there is a need.

Development and national consensus finding on patient-centred high stakes communication skills assessments for the Swiss Federal Licensing Examination in Medicine

OBJECTIVE

To describe and evaluate a consensus finding and expert validation process for the development of patient-centred communication assessments for a national Licensing Exam in Medicine.

METHODS

A multi-professional team of clinicians and experts in communication, assessment and role-play developed communication assessments for the Swiss Federal Licensing Examination. The six-month process, informed by a preceding national needs-assessment, an expert symposium and a critical literature review covered the application of patient-centred communication frameworks, the development of assessment guides, concrete assessments and pilot-tests. The participants evaluated the process.

RESULTS

The multiple-step consensus process, based on expert validation of the medical and communication content, led to six high-stakes patient-centred communication OSCE-assessments. The process evaluation revealed areas of challenge such as calibrating rating-scales and case difficulty to the graduates' competencies and integrating differing opinions. Main success factors were attributed to the outcome-oriented process and the multi-professional exchange of expertise. A model for developing high stakes patient-centred communication OSCE-assessments was derived.

CONCLUSIONS

Consensus finding was facilitated by using well-established communication frameworks, by ensuring outcome-orientated knowledge exchange among multi-professional experts, and collaborative validation of content through experts.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

We propose developing high-stakes communication assessments in a multi-professional expert consensus and provide a conceptual model.

Changes in emotional intelligence of university students participating in psychological workshops and their predictors

The aim of this study was to determine changes in the emotional intelligence of university students who participated in psychological workshops and their predictors. The examinations were organized within a quasi-experimental design that evaluated pretest-posttest values of emotional intelligence. The intervention, which adopted the form of psychological workshops, was aimed to improve the ability to control emotional states, modify cognitive patterns and expand the array of communicational behaviours. The study examined 30 university students of a physical education course aged 19 to 24 years. The study used the Popular Questionnaire of Emotional Intelligence, the Social Competence Questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire and the Courtauld Emotional Scale. Significant increases in emotional intelligence were observed in students participating in the psychological workshops, although varied depending on its dimensions. The highest differentiation between the measurements was found for understanding of emotions, whereas the lowest - for empathy. Greater increases in emotional intelligence can be expected in young students, who are more willing to suppress depression and reveal lower social competencies and greater intensification of depression symptoms. Psychological workshops can be an effective method to improve emotional intelligence of university students who prepare to the profession of a physical education teacher or a coach.

Development and pilot test of ComCare - a questionnaire for quick assessment of communicative and social competences in medical students after interviews with simulated patients

Background: Physicians' communicative and social competences are highly relevant for doctor-patient relationships. Simulation-based learning is frequently used to provide students with learning experiences resembling realistic medical situations. This study aims to assess communication and interpersonal skills in medical students after simulated consultations with a newly designed short questionnaire. Methods: In 2019, 103 final year students participated in a simulated consultation hour seeing four simulated patients. Communicative and social competences were assessed by a questionnaire including items for communication (Com) and interpersonal (Care) skills. The questionnaire was used by the simulated patients (ComCareP) after each consultation and as self-assessment by the students (ComCareD) after the fourth consultation. An explorative factor analysis was performed and the results of ComCareP and ComCareD were compared with respect to students' sex and advancement in their final year. Results: All ComCareP items loaded on one factor, which explained 50.7% of the variance. The participants self-assessed their communication and interpersonal skills significantly better than the simulated patients. No significant differences were found for students' sexes or advancement in their final year except for the item "responding to patients' needs satisfactorily" which was significantly lower in students at the end of their final year. Patients' general "satisfaction with the consultation" was higher while physicians' general "satisfaction with the consultation" was lower than their total ComCare mean score. The general satisfaction with the consultation showed a significant positive correlation with both ComCares' total mean scores. Conclusion: The ComCare measures communication and interpersonal skills as one factor. It can be used directly after consultations and shows significant positive correlation with the general satisfaction with a consultation. Since simulated patients' satisfaction with the consultation was higher than their ComCare score, other factors than communication and interpersonal skills could play a role for patient satisfaction with a conversation and need to be further investigated.

Learning how to break bad news from worked examples: Does the presentation format matter when hints are embedded? Results from randomised and blinded field trials

OBJECTIVES

Video-based worked examples enable medical students to successfully prepare for breaking-bad-news (BBN) encounters with simulated patients (SPs). This is especially true when examples include hints that signal important content. This paper investigates whether the beneficial effect of hints only applies to video-based worked examples or also text-based examples.

METHODS

One-hundred-and-forty-seven fourth-year medical students attending a BBN training participated in either of two equally scaffolded, randomised field trials. Prior to encountering SPs, the students worked through an e-learning module introducing the SPIKES protocol for delivering bad news; it contained the same worked example presented to either of four groups as text or video, with or without additional hints denoting the SPIKES steps being implemented.

RESULTS

Only a main effect of 'hints' was revealed, implying that students in the hints groups delivered the news to an SP significantly more appropriately than those in the without-hints groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Independent of their presentation format, worked examples with hints best foster students' BBN skills learning.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

In addition to video, text-based worked examples can effectively prepare students for BBN simulations if hints are included. This offers an affordable alternative to video examples, as text examples can be generated with less effort.

Simulated patient's feedback to improve communication skills of clerkship students

BACKGROUND

The changing trends of the society and revisions to medical education have changed the way medical students are trained to adroitly care for patients hence, patient centered care has become need of today's society and communication skills are imperative in developing patient physician relationship. Increasingly, simulations are being used to aid medical students to incorporate theoretical knowledge into practice. There are innumerable studies regarding communication skills in terms of reliability, validity and feasibility but no such study has been documented using simulated patient's feedback in improving communication skills in Pakistan. The aim of this study is to explore whether simulated patients' feedback improves the communication skills of undergraduate medical students.

METHODS

During a randomized control trail a group of eighty students in the final year clerkship at Al-Nafees Medical College have participated in pre-post Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) on communication skills. The students were selected through convenience sampling technique. Four Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) stations based on different scenarios of communication skills were developed. Each station of fifteen minutes duration was assessed by both simulated patients and faculty using a validated tool LCSAS (Liverpool Communication Skills Assessment Scale). The difference between the pre and post-tests of two groups was explored by applying independent t-test. Cronbach's alpha was used to check the reliability of scores and effect size was calculated.

RESULTS

Results of this study have showed that there is significant improvement in communication skills after receiving feedback from simulated patients (p value ≤0.05) was observed. An overall Cronbach α = 0.83 on LCSAS reveal a high internal consistency and there was adequate demonstration of effect size(r = 0.8).

CONCLUSION

The results on the scores of the students on the Liverpool Communication Skills Assessment Scale confirm that simulated patient's feedback is essential to enhance the communication skills of the medical students. This study offers significant evidence towards successful conduction of a formal communication skills development initiative at Al-Nafees Medical College using simulated patient feedback during teaching and assessments.

Perceived strain of undergraduate medical students during a simulated first day of residency

BACKGROUND

Residents face demanding situations on the job and have been found to perceive high levels of strain. Medical students also reported a high degree of strain and even depressive tendencies when entering their clinical rotations. The aim of this study was to explore the perceived strain of medical students from different undergraduate curricula and at different stages of academic advancement during different phases of an assessment simulating a resident's first day in hospital.

METHODS

Sixty-seven undergraduate medical students participated in the following three phases of the assessment in the role of a resident: a consultation hour with five simulated patients, a management phase with interprofessional contact, and a patient handover with a colleague. They completed the Strain Perception Questionnaire (STRAIPER) after each phase. Students from different undergraduate curricula (VI: vertically integrated, n = 35 versus non-VI: not vertically integrated, n = 26) and different academic advancement (semester 10, n = 26 versus final year, n = 41) were compared.

RESULTS

All students showed the highest strain level after the management phase compared to the consultation hour and the handover. Medical students from a non-VI curriculum felt significantly more strain in the dimension of agitation (p < .05) after the consultation hour compared to students from a VI curriculum and compared to the management phase and the handover. No significant difference in perceived strain was found between students from semester 10 compared to final year students.

CONCLUSIONS

During the consultation hour and the handover with a colleague medical students faced tasks which are familiar to them from undergraduate education. Their higher strain levels during the management phase might occur because they are confronted with unfamiliar tasks and decisions. Feeling responsible for the right actions in this phase of multitasking and professional interaction might have added to the strain students perceived during this phase. Patient management should be emphasized more in any type of undergraduate medical curriculum.

Influences on students' empathy in medical education: an exploratory interview study with medical students in their third and last year

BACKGROUND

Empathy is beneficial for patients and physicians. It facilitates treatment and improves physical and psychosocial outcomes. The therapeutic relevance of empathy emphasizes the need to help medical students develop their empathic abilities. Our study aimed to identify factors which promote or hinder the development and expression of empathy in medical students during the course of their studies.

METHODS

We interviewed 24 medical students (six male and six female students in their 6th semester as well as six male and six female students in their final clinical year) using semi-structured interviews. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Braun & Clarke's thematic analysis.

RESULTS

We identified four main themes influencing the development and expression of empathy. 1) Course of studies: hands-on-experience, role models, science and theory, and emphasis on the importance of empathy; 2) students: insecurities and lack of routine, increasing professionalism, previous work experiences, professional distance, mood, maturity, and personal level of empathy; 3) patients: "easy" and "difficult" patients including their state of health; and 4) surrounding conditions: time pressure/stress, work environment, and job dissatisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

The development and use of empathy could be promoted by increasing: hands-on-experiences, possibilities to experience the patient's point of view and offering patient contact early in the curriculum. Students need support in reflecting on their actions, behavior and experiences with patients. Instructors need time and opportunities to reflect on their own communication with and treatment of patients, on their teaching behavior, and on their function as role models for treating patients empathically and preventing stress. Practical experiences should be made less stressful for students. The current changes implemented in some medical school curriculums (e.g., in Germany) seem to go in the right direction by integrating patient contact early on in the curriculum and focusing more on teaching adequate communication and interaction behaviors.

The learning effects of different presentations of worked examples on medical students' breaking-bad-news skills: A randomized and blinded field trial

OBJECTIVES

Effective instructional approaches are needed to enable undergraduates to optimally prepare for the limited training time they receive with simulated patients (SPs). This study examines the learning effects of different presentation formats of a worked example on student SP communication.

METHODS

Sixty-seven fourth-year medical students attending a mandatory communication course participated in this randomized field trial. Prior to the course, they worked through an e-learning module that introduced the SPIKES protocol for delivering bad news to patients. In this module, a single worked example was presented to one group of students in a text version, to a second group in a video version, and to a third group in a video version enriched with text hints denoting the SPIKES steps.

RESULTS

The video-with-hints group broke bad news to SPs significantly more appropriately than either of the other groups. Although no further condition-related effects were revealed, students who learned from the text version most frequently (although non-significantly) ignored unpleasant emotions (standardised emotional cues and concerns) expressed by the SPs.

CONCLUSIONS

The learning effect was strongest when the video-based worked example was accompanied by hints.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Video-related learning approaches that embed attention-guiding hints can effectively prepare undergraduates for SP encounters.

Understanding the impact of simulated patients on health care learners' communication skills: a systematic review

CONTEXT

Effective communication skills are at the core of good health care. Simulated patients (SPs) are increasingly engaged as an interactive means of teaching, applying and practising communication skills with immediate feedback. There is a large body of research into the use of manikin-based simulation but a gap exists in the body of research on the effectiveness of SP-based education to teach communication skills that impact patient outcomes. The aim of this systematic review was to critically analyse the existing research, investigating whether SP-based communication skills training improves learner-patient communication, how communication skill improvement is measured, and who measures these improvements.

METHODS

The databases Medline, ProQuest (Health & Medical Complete, Nursing and Allied Health Source) and CINAHL (EBSCOhost) Education Resources Information Centre (ERIC) were searched for articles that investigated the effects of SP-based education on the communication skills of medical, nursing and allied health learners.

RESULTS

There were 60 studies included in the review. Only two studies reported direct patient outcomes, one reporting some negative impact, and no studies included an economic analysis. Many studies reported statistically significant third-party ratings of improved communication effectiveness following SP-based education; however, studies were unable to be pooled for meta-analysis because of the outcome collection methods. There were a small number of studies comparing SP with no training at all and there were no differences between communication skills, contradicting the results from studies reporting benefits. Of the 60 studies included for analysis, 54 (90%) met the minimum quality score of 7/11, with four articles (7%) scoring 11/11.

CONCLUSION

SP-based education is widely accepted as a valuable and effective means of teaching communication skills but there is limited evidence of how this translates to patient outcomes and no indication of economic benefit for this type of training over another method.

Medical students' communication skills in clinical education: Results from a cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To assess students' communication skills during clinical medical education and at graduation.

METHODS

We conducted an observational cohort study from 2007 to 2011 with 26 voluntary undergraduate medical students at Hamburg University based on video-taped consultations in year four and at graduation. 176 consultations were analyzed quantitatively with validated and non-validated context-independent communication observation instruments (interrater reliability ≥0.8). Based on observational protocols each consultation was also documented in free-text comments, salient topics were extracted afterwards.

RESULTS

26 students, seven males, were enrolled in the survey. On average, graduates scored higher in differential-diagnostic questioning and time management but showed deficiencies in taking systematic and complete symptom-oriented histories, in communication techniques, in structuring consultations and in gathering the patients' perspectives. Patient-centeredness and empathy were rather low at graduation. Individual deficiencies could barely be eliminated.

CONCLUSION

Medical students were able to enhance their clinical reasoning skills and their time management. Still, various communication deficiencies in final year students became evident regarding appropriate history taking, communication skills, empathy and patient-centeredness.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The necessity of developing a longitudinal communication curriculum with enhanced communication trainings and assessments became evident. A curriculum should ensure that students' communication competencies are firmly achieved at graduation.

Competence of medical students in communicating drug therapy: Value of role-play demonstrations

Objectives:

This study used role-play demonstrations to train medical students to communicate drug therapy and evaluated the perceptions on this instructional approach.

Materials and Methods:

The second-year medical students who attended a prescription writing session (n = 133), participated in this study. Prescription communication was introduced by using role-play demonstrations. Participant's perceptions were explored by a self-administered questionnaire and focus group discussion. The academic achievement of attendees and nonattendees was compared with an objective structured performance evaluation (OSPE) station that tested students’ competence in this skill.

Results:

Most attendees responded to the questionnaire (81.2%). Almost all respondents expressed their desire to have similar demonstrations in other units. A large proportion of participants reported that role-play demonstrations helped them develop their communication skills, in general, confidence to communicate drug-related information in a prescription, and the ability to explain the aim of drug therapy to patients. Most trainees thought also that they developed skills to communicate instructions on drug use including drug dose, frequency of administration, duration of therapy, adverse drug reactions, and warnings. During the focus group interviews, students thought that role-play was useful but would be more beneficial if conducted frequently in small group as part of the curriculum implementation. The majority of students also reported improved competence in writing a complete prescription. Analysis of attendees and nonattendees grades in the OSPE showed that the former scored higher than the latter group (P = 0.016).

Conclusions:

Role-play demonstrations were well accepted by medical students and led to the development of their competence in communicating drug therapy to patients.

Dealing with patients in healthcare: A self-assessment tool

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate how healthcare personnel self-evaluate their ability to relate to patients in day-to-day practice from a patient-centered perspective, and to test the psychometric properties of a questionnaire developed to assess it.

METHODS

A sample of 600 healthcare personnel, recruited among eight hospitals in various parts of Italy, completed the 16-item Provider-Patient Relationship Questionnaire (PPRQ). A sample of 50 nurses answered the PPRQ twice, at a four-week interval. The PPRQ validity, reliability and susceptibility to social desirability were tested.

RESULTS

PPRQ showed good reliability and structural validity, with four first-order factors: effective communication, interest in the patient's agenda, empathy, and patient involvement in care. Correlation with social desirability was negligible. Participants rated themselves as highly competent in communicating with patients, but less interested in involving the patient in care and in the patient's agenda. Differences in PPRQ dimensions were found between groups based on job type and geographic area.

CONCLUSION

PPRQ is a brief self-report measure of the provider-patient relationship with promising psychometric properties in this sample.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

PPRQ has potential value in promoting a self-reflecting learning environment, whether through training or day-to-day practice.

Tools to Assess Behavioral and Social Science Competencies in Medical Education: A Systematic Review

PURPOSE

Behavioral and social science (BSS) competencies are needed to provide quality health care, but psychometrically validated measures to assess these competencies are difficult to find. Moreover, they have not been mapped to existing frameworks, like those from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This systematic review aimed to identify and evaluate the quality of assessment tools used to measure BSS competencies.

METHOD

The authors searched the literature published between January 2002 and March 2014 for articles reporting psychometric or other validity/reliability testing, using OVID, CINAHL, PubMed, ERIC, Research and Development Resource Base, SOCIOFILE, and PsycINFO. They reviewed 5,104 potentially relevant titles and abstracts. To guide their review, they mapped BSS competencies to existing LCME and ACGME frameworks. The final included articles fell into three categories: instrument development, which were of the highest quality; educational research, which were of the second highest quality; and curriculum evaluation, which were of lower quality.

RESULTS

Of the 114 included articles, 33 (29%) yielded strong evidence supporting tools to assess communication skills, cultural competence, empathy/compassion, behavioral health counseling, professionalism, and teamwork. Sixty-two (54%) articles yielded moderate evidence and 19 (17%) weak evidence. Articles mapped to all LCME standards and ACGME core competencies; the most common was communication skills.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings serve as a valuable resource for medical educators and researchers. More rigorous measurement validation and testing and more robust study designs are needed to understand how educational strategies contribute to BSS competency development.

Are simulated patients effective in facilitating development of clinical competence for healthcare students? A scoping review

Background

The need to evaluate the effectiveness of SPs in improving clinical competence has attracted a heightened interest across the healthcare professions, with some prevailing gaps in their evidence. Using a scoping review approach, this study aims to provide an overview on the effectiveness of SPs in facilitating the development of clinical competence for healthcare students.

Methods

This scoping review applied the first five out of the six-stage methodological framework developed by Levac et al. (Implementation Science 5:69), as follows: 1) Identify the research question; 2) identify relevant studies; 3) study selection; 4) charting the data; and 5) collating, summarising and reporting the results. The search was performed on four databases, including Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL and Scopus.

Results

A total of 33 articles were included in this study (out of 968 identified), comprising of 20 cross-sectional studies, eight randomised controlled trials and five longitudinal studies. The studies were examined and categorised for further discussion in the three domains of clinical competence; technical, non-technical and cognitive skills. Overall, 24 out of 33 studies showed effectiveness of SPs in facilitating students’ clinical competence.

Conclusion

This scoping review serves to provide guidance for future healthcare education development, by illustrating the effectiveness of SPs in improving students’ clinical competence as evidenced in the literature. In doing so, it highlights the potential of SPs in facilitating students’ acquisition of the necessary skills for clinical practice.

Desire and reality--teaching and assessing communicative competencies in undergraduate medical education in German-speaking Europe--a survey

Objectives: Increasingly, communicative competencies are becoming a permanent feature of training and assessment in German-speaking medical schools (n=43; Germany, Austria, Switzerland – ”D-A-CH”). In support of further curricular development of communicative competencies, the survey by the “Communicative and Social Competencies” (KusK) committee of the German Society for Medical Education (GMA) systematically appraises the scope of and form in which teaching and assessment take place.

Methods: The iterative online questionnaire, developed in cooperation with KusK, comprises 70 questions regarding instruction (n=14), assessment (n=48), local conditions (n=5), with three fields for further remarks. Per location, two to three individuals who were familiar with the respective institute’s curriculum were invited to take part in the survey.

Results: Thirty-nine medical schools (40 degree programmes) took part in the survey. Communicative competencies are taught in all of the programmes. Ten degree programmes have a longitudinal curriculum for communicative competencies; 25 programmes offer this in part. Sixteen of the 40 programmes use the Basler Consensus Statement for orientation. In over 80% of the degree programmes, communicative competencies are taught in the second and third year of studies. Almost all of the programmes work with simulated patients (n=38) and feedback (n=37). Exams are exclusively summative (n=11), exclusively formative (n=3), or both summative and formative (n=16) and usually take place in the fifth or sixth year of studies (n=22 and n=20). Apart from written examinations (n=15) and presentations (n=9), practical examinations are primarily administered (OSCE, n=31); WPA (n=8), usually with self-developed scales (OSCE, n=19). With regards to the examiners’ training and the manner of results-reporting to the students, there is a high variance.

Conclusions: Instruction in communicative competencies has been implemented at all 39 of the participating medical schools. For the most part, communicative competencies instruction in the D-A-C-H region takes place in small groups and is tested using the OSCE. The challenges for further curricular development lie in the expansion of feedback, the critical evaluation of appropriate assessment strategies, and in the quality assurance of exams.

Translating medical documents into plain language enhances communication skills in medical students--A pilot study

OBJECTIVE

To train and assess undergraduate medical students' written communication skills by exercises in translating medical reports into plain language for real patients.

METHODS

27 medical students participated in a newly developed communication course. They attended a 3-h seminar including a briefing on patient-centered communication and an introduction to working with the internet platform http://washabich.de. In the following ten weeks, participants "translated" one medical report every fortnight on this platform receiving feedback by a near-peer supervisor. A pre- and post-course assignment consisted of a self-assessment questionnaire on communication skills, analysis of a medical text with respect to medical jargon, and the translation of a medical report into plain language.

RESULTS

In the self-assessment, students rated themselves in most aspects of patient-centered communication significantly higher after attending the course. After the course they marked significantly more medical jargon terms correctly than before (p<0.001). In a written plain language translation of a medical report they scored significantly higher with respect to communicative aspects (p<0.05) and medical correctness (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Translating medical reports into plain language under near-peer supervision is associated with improved communication skills and medical knowledge in undergraduate medical students.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

To include translation exercises in the undergraduate medical curriculum.

Social Competence and Emotional Intelligence of Future Pe Teachers and Their Participation in Psychological Workshops

Purpose. The aim of the study was to investigate the social competence (SC) and emotional intelligence (EI) of future physical education (PE) teachers after targeted psychological training. Methods. PE university students completing their bachelor’s (28 third-year students) and master’s degrees (31 first-year students) were recruited and divided into an experimental and control group. The participants completed a questionnaire assessing SC and EI. The experimental group then participated in a series of psychological workshops (four 8-hour sessions) that included Video Interaction Training and interpersonal training. The questionnaire was again administered immediately and 6 months after the workshops were completed. Results. The indicators of SC and EI were significantly higher in experimental group in both post-workshop time points. No increases were observed in the control group. Conclusions. The results justify the inclusion of interactive psychological courses in the curricula of future PE teachers.

Student attitude towards communication skills learning in a Caribbean medical school

BACKGROUND

Medical student attitudes towards communication skills are important for curriculum planners and teachers. Xavier University School of Medicine (XUSOM) is a private medical school admitting students mainly from the United States and Canada.

AIMS

Attitude of students towards communication skills has not been previously studied in the institution. Hence the present study was carried out.

METHOD

The study was carried out among the first, second, third and fourth semester undergraduate medical (MD) students at XUSOM, Aruba during July 2013 using the communication skills attitude scale (CSAS). Respondents' age, gender, nationality, occupation of parents, place of residence of family, semester of study were noted. The positive and negative attitude scale scores were calculated and compared among different subgroups of respondents (p<0.05).

RESULTS

Fifty-one of the seventy-three students (69.9 per cent) participated. The majority were between 20 to 25 years of age, of American nationality, from metro cities and had excellent or good self-perceived verbal and written communication skills. The mean positive attitude scale (PAS) score was 47.65 (maximum being 65) and the mean negative attitude scale (NAS) score was 31.06 (maximum 65). PAS score was significantly higher among respondents whose fathers were not in health related professions. NAS scores were significantly lower among the third and fourth semester respondents.

CONCLUSION

Students overall had a positive attitude towards communication skills but negative attitudes were also noted Based on results of the study and a review of literature we are planning to start communication skills learning in the institution right from the first semester and students will be provided opportunities for supervised practice during early clinical exposure, hospital observership and with standardised patients. The medical humanities module will be expanded and communication skills learning will continue during the clinical years with higher order skills being taught.