[Communication Test for Foreign Physicians in Germany: The Patient Communication Test]

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Services Research
• Professional Licensure

Background:

• Rising numbers of foreign doctors in Germany necessitate robust language proficiency assessments.
• Existing language requirements do not fully address practical communication challenges faced by foreign doctors.
• Communication barriers can negatively impact patient safety and healthcare quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the development and pilot study results of a novel patient communication test for foreign medical professionals.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a standardized communication skills assessment for medical licensure.
• To address the gap between theoretical language competence and practical clinical communication.

Main Methods:

• Development of 3 Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) stations assessing history taking, case presentation, and informed consent.
• Standardized training for actors (patients) and raters based on defined evaluation criteria.
• Pilot testing conducted across 6 diverse German cities involving foreign doctors.

Main Results:

• In 2013, 639 foreign doctors participated in the pilot test.
• A significant majority, 72.14% (461 doctors), passed the communication test on their first attempt.
• An additional 7.98% passed on their second attempt, indicating a high overall pass rate with remediation.

Conclusions:

• The patient communication test effectively assesses foreign doctors' communication skills in a standardized OSCE format.
• The test contributes to enhancing patient safety within the German healthcare system.
• Successful implementation promotes better inter-professional and patient-centered communication.