Teaching the cultural dimensions of the patient-physician relationship: a novel approach using didactic trigger films

The use of trigger films (TFs) for undergraduate teaching is well established in the Technion School of Medicine and elsewhere. These are typically based on a written script highlighting diverse issues within the patient-physician relationship (PPR). We report here on the staging of a filmed script-free encounter between a physician and an actress-patient as a further development of the TF approach. This involved the creation of a clinical interaction in which the patient's revealed cultural background demanded an adaptive response from the physician in order to achieve a stable PPR and to institute effective treatment. Considerable improvisation was thus required. Prior directorial manipulation of the conditions of the interview enhanced the didactic power and goals of the TF. After completion of the filming, the physician and the actress studied the video and then repeated the interview within the same situation free of directorial input. The two sequential videotaped interviews constitute the final product. These TFs appear to carry a wide spectrum of didactic messages at many levels including the need to relate effectively to the cultural aspects in the PPR, and the importance of self-observation as a tool for change and learning.