An Innovative Approach to Assess Medical Student Perceived Compassionate Communication Skills Before and After High...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Communication Skills Training
• Healthcare Simulation

Background:

• Translating learned compassionate communication skills during high-acuity patient encounters is challenging.
• A novel curriculum was developed to assess compassionate communication in medical students during challenging medical simulations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a novel curriculum in evaluating compassionate communication skills among medical students.
• To identify gaps in self-perceived compassionate communication abilities when managing high-acuity patients.

Main Methods:

• Fourth-year medical students (n=120) participated in high-fidelity simulations combining acute medical management with communication challenges.
• Students completed self-assessment questionnaires before and after simulations to measure perceptions of compassionate communication.
• Data was analyzed descriptively to compare pre- and post-simulation self-perceptions.

Main Results:

• Post-simulation self-assessments showed an 18.5-percentage-point decrease in students rating themselves as often or always able to demonstrate compassionate communication.
• Students reported limited prior training in compassionate communication, primarily classroom-based.
• Participants found real-time application of these skills during high-pressure patient management significantly more challenging than anticipated.

Conclusions:

• High-acuity simulation effectively identified unrecognized gaps in students' self-perceived communication abilities.
• Findings support integrating longitudinal, high-fidelity compassionate communication training earlier in medical curricula.
• Enhanced training is crucial for preparing learners for demanding clinical encounters.