[Effects of a psychosocial education programme to improve doctor-patient interaction with cancer patients]
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Johannes Kruse1, Norbert Schmitz, Wolfgang Wöller
1Klinik für Psychotherapeutische Medizin der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Bergische Landstr. 2, 40629 Düsseldorf, Germany. kruse@uni-duesseldorf.de
Objectives:
The quality of medical care by somatically treating physicians has considerable influence on the coping process in cancer patients. In outpatient psychosocial care, information supply and doctor-patient interaction are often considered difficult by the patients. This study therefore investigates the effects of a teaching and training programme on interactional skills of experienced physicians in dealing with cancer patients.
Methods:
In a pre-post comparison design, the effects of a 6-hour and a 24-hour interaction and teaching programme were compared. To measure the effects, interviews with standardised patients were carried out and analysed using the Medical Interaction Process System (Ford 1998).
Results:
About one third of all physicians practicing in the area of Mönchengladbach, Germany, could be motivated to participate in the programme. The physicians who received the 24-hour training showed a substantial improvement in interaction skills whereas no marked changes were seen in those physicians who had participated in the 6-hour training.
Conclusions:
Interactional skills of experienced physicians can be improved by teaching and training programmes. Therefore, doctor-patient interaction training should be integrated into continuing medical education.
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