A proposal for strengthening medical school training in STD prevention techniques

Despite increases in national rates of sexually transmitted disease (STD), surveys indicate that medical students generally lack programs to train them in STD prevention techniques and in counseling patients about STD. The authors of this proposal investigated STD education for medical students at the University of California at Los Angeles and propose a project to involve third-year medical students in STD prevention techniques during their STD-clinic rotation. The long-term goal is to decrease the incidence and prevalence of STD. The immediate aims are to increase medical students' knowledge of STD prevention and to help them develop the communication skills necessary to effectively counsel patients about STD. Interventions would consist of a series of lectures and workshops using audiovisual aids, small group discussions, and role playing, and would be conducted by health educators and guest lecturers. A quasi-experimental research design would be used in testing the effectiveness of the project in two experimental and two control groups involving a total of 80 third-year medical students. The first intervention would be a 1-week lecture series. Written tests would be given before and after the first intervention to measure the baseline of the students' knowledge of STD prevention methods. The second intervention would be a 1-week workshop series. Students' interviews with patients would be videotaped before and after the second intervention so that the interviewer's communication skills may be assessed and compared. Sets of interventions would be scheduled for the fall of 1990 and the spring of 1991. Six months after the completion of the project, a followup questionnaire would be given to evaluate the project's overall effectiveness.