Improv to improve medical student communication

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Communication Skills Training
• Patient-Provider Interaction

Background:

• Teaching effective patient-provider communication is challenging and resource-intensive.
• Improvisational theatre exercises offer a structured method for practicing communication skills.
• This approach is suitable for time-limited educational settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of improvisational theatre exercises on patient satisfaction.
• To assess improvements in empathetic communication as rated by standardized patients.
• To determine the efficacy of this intervention in medical student training.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 188 third-year medical students.
• Students were assigned to an improvisation intervention group or a control group before a standardized patient experience.
• Standardized patients assessed empathetic communication and patient satisfaction.

Main Results:

• The improvisation group showed significantly higher measures of empathetic communication (p=0.04).
• Patient satisfaction ratings for 'ability to listen carefully' (p=0.001) and 'physician skills' (p=0.03) were higher in the intervention group.
• These findings indicate a positive effect of the intervention on communication quality.

Conclusions:

• Improvisational theatre exercises effectively enhance medical students' empathetic communication.
• The intervention led to improved patient satisfaction scores.
• This method provides a valuable tool for communication skills development in medical education.