Understanding patient involvement in judging students' communication skills in OSCEs

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Communication Skills Assessment
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Current medical communication skills assessments are designed by medical professionals with limited patient input.
• This can lead to evaluations that do not fully address patients' authentic communication needs.
• Regulatory bodies advocate for patient involvement, but practical implementation remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore patients' views on medical students' communication abilities.
• To understand patient perceptions of examiner feedback on student communication.
• To identify potential roles for patients in enhancing communication skills assessment.

Main Methods:

• A constructivist grounded theory approach was employed.
• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients who reviewed videos of student performances and examiner feedback.
• Data analysis followed established grounded theory methodologies.

Main Results:

• A significant divergence was observed between patient and examiner evaluations of student communication.
• Patients frequently noted students' use of medical jargon, a point often absent in examiner feedback.
• Patients perceived their varied judgments as valuable learning opportunities and identified roles for themselves in assessment.

Conclusions:

• Integrating patients into communication skills assessment can identify student deficiencies overlooked by medical examiners.
• Addressing challenges in patient involvement is crucial for improving healthcare graduates' readiness for clinical practice.