Using a Lego-based communications simulation to introduce medical students to patient-centered interviewing

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Professional Skills Training
• Communication Skills

Background:

• Teaching patient-centered interviewing skills to medical students presents challenges.
• First-year medical students often prioritize technical knowledge over interviewing skills.
• A novel simulation approach is needed to address these difficulties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a Lego simulation in teaching patient-centered interviewing skills to first-year medical students.
• To determine if the Lego activity can help students overcome preoccupation with technical medical knowledge.
• To assess the impact of the simulation on learning the importance of open-ended questioning.

Main Methods:

• A Lego simulation was implemented as part of a professional-skills course for first-year medical students.
• The simulation involved a role-play analogous to a doctor-patient interview using identical Lego sets.
• Data were collected using questionnaires administered at various instructional points.

Main Results:

• The Lego activity was highly effective in teaching students the importance of open-ended questioning.
• Students rated the Lego activity as highly engaging, comparable to other interactive components.
• The simulation successfully helped students focus on interviewing skills despite technical medical knowledge.

Conclusions:

• The Lego simulation serves as an effective analogy for doctor-patient interviews.
• This innovative method enhances the learning of essential communication skills in medical education.
• The use of analogies in the Lego activity likely contributes to its educational effectiveness.