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Learning to connect: students' reflections on doctor-patient interactions
Terry Kind1, Veronica R Everett, Mary Ottolini
1Division of General Pediatrics and Community Health, Children's National Medical Center, United States. tkind@cnmc.org
Patient Education and Counseling
|November 18, 2008
Summary
Medical students identified factors like time, knowledge, and culture influencing patient connections during clerkships. Reflective writing helps students understand and improve these interactions.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Qualitative Research
- Patient-Physician Relationship
Background:
- Reflective writing is a known method for teaching empathy in medical education.
- Understanding student perspectives on patient connection during clinical clerkships is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe factors influencing medical students' ability to connect with patients and families.
- To identify perceived facilitators and barriers to patient connection during pediatric clerkships.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative thematic analysis of reflective essays.
- Analysis of essays from third-year medical students on patient interactions during pediatric clerkships.
Main Results:
- Key themes included time, knowledge, language/culture, and actions as factors influencing connection.
- Barriers for some students were resources for others.
- Critical reflection was identified in 31.8% of essays.
Conclusions:
- Student perceptions of connection factors impact their interactions.
- Reflection enables medical students to analyze the occurrence and nature of patient connections.
- Preceptors can use this understanding to foster connections and address barriers.
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