Developing a psychosomatic medicine curriculum for general practice residents: a proof-of-concept study using Kern's...

Psychosomatic disorders are highly prevalent in primary care worldwide, yet structured training for general practitioners (GPs) remains limited. This study applied Kern's Six-Step Approach, grounded in the principles of competency-based medical education (CBME), to develop a globally relevant psychosomatic medicine curriculum and to evaluate its initial feasibility and effectiveness.

We applied Kern's Six-Step Approach, grounded in the principles of CBME, to design a psychosomatic medicine curriculum for GPs.The curriculum comprised five core modules: (1) an overview of psychosomatic medicine; (2) clinical management of common psychosomatic conditions in primary care settings; (3) mental health prevention and rehabilitation; (4) Doctor-Patient communication and psychological counseling; and (5) self-care and professional development for GPs. A variety of evidence-based instructional methods were employed, including lectures, standardized patient (SP) interviews, Balint groups, and clinical rotations, to foster comprehensive competencies in psychosomatic medicine.

We recruited 29 general practice residents. Among them, 26 completed the pre- and post-training assessments, and the average curriculum completion rate was 75.1%. Significant improvements were observed in exam scores of knowledge (p < 0.001), self-assessed knowledge (p < 0.001), faculty-rated communication performance using the SEGUE Framework (p < 0.001), and SP-rated communication satisfaction (p < 0.001). While clinical reasoning showed improvement, it did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.063). Overall self-assessed psychosomatic competency by GP residents increased significantly (p < 0.05), including knowledge (p < 0.001) and skills (p < 0.05). However, attitudes was not statistically significant(p = 0.103).

This study developed and piloted a structured psychosomatic medicine training framework in a hospital in Shanghai. The findings indicate that the program is feasible and that its modular design may be relevant beyond the Chinese context, offering a practical point of reference for adaptation in primary care settings facing similar constraints.