Authentic SP-based teaching in spite of COVID-19 - is that possible?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Communication Skills Training
• Digital Health

Background:

• Medical conversation is crucial for patient management and therapy.
• Standardized patients (SPs) are vital for teaching clinical communication skills.
• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated digital adaptations in medical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a digital model for standardized patient (SP)-based medical communication training during the pandemic.
• To assess the feasibility, authenticity, and effectiveness of online SP interactions.
• To identify limitations and inform future blended-learning strategies.

Main Methods:

• 176 digital teaching units (45 minutes each) were conducted from May to August 2020.
• 354 medical students interviewed SPs portraying various patient scenarios via "HeiConf" online software.
• Feedback was collected from both students and SPs post-session.

Main Results:

• The digital format received positive feedback from students and SPs, maintaining role-play authenticity.
• Students effectively practiced and observed specific communication techniques (e.g., NURSE, SPIKES).
• Digital sessions showed limitations in conveying non-verbal communication, atmosphere, and group dynamics compared to in-person teaching.

Conclusions:

• The rapid transition to digital SP-based teaching successfully prevented the cancellation of essential communication skills training.
• Digital platforms are effective for teaching concrete conversation techniques.
• A blended-learning model is proposed to leverage digital efficiency for foundational skills and in-person sessions for nuanced communication aspects.