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Assessing medical students' competence in obtaining informed consent
1Department of Psychiatry, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque 87131, USA.
American Journal of Surgery
|December 10, 1999
Summary
This study introduces a new method for assessing medical students' informed consent skills. The evaluation demonstrated that senior students effectively obtained informed consent, highlighting the tool's potential for ethics education.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Bioethics
- Professionalism Assessment
Background:
- Medical schools are increasingly focused on equipping students with essential clinical and ethical skills.
- Developing sensitive and effective methods for evaluating these skills is crucial for patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe and evaluate a novel method for assessing medical students' proficiency in obtaining informed consent.
- To determine the efficacy of this assessment tool in a real-world educational setting.
Main Methods:
- A standardized patient encounter was used to assess senior medical students' informed consent skills.
- Students interacted with a patient concerned about cardiac catheterization, with their performance evaluated using two checklists.
- Faculty reviewed videotaped interactions and documented student responses.
Main Results:
- Seventy-one senior students participated, with all demonstrating strong performance.
- Students achieved high mean scores on both informed consent (6.3/7) and communication skills (8.7/9) checklists.
- Participants recognized the importance of the skills evaluated.
Conclusions:
- The developed method for assessing informed consent acquisition is a promising tool for evaluating ethics competence in medical students.
- This assessment approach offers valuable insights into students' ability to navigate complex ethical and communication challenges.