Using a competency-based program to assess interviewing skills of pediatric house staff

Area of Science:

• Medical education
• Pediatric residency training
• Clinical skills assessment

Background:

• Effective patient interviewing is crucial for pediatric house staff.
• Objective assessment of these skills has been challenging.
• Standardized training programs are needed to ensure competence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate an objective program for assessing pediatric house staff interviewing skills.
• To ensure all residents achieve a minimum standard of interviewing competence.
• To provide targeted remedial instruction based on performance.

Main Methods:

• Initiated a program to objectively assess pediatric house staff interviewing skills.
• Utilized nonphysician mothers presenting standardized child medical histories for evaluations.
• Provided remedial instruction for those not meeting established minimum criteria.

Main Results:

• All entering house staff members were evaluated using this method.
• Performance was assessed against established minimum criteria for interviewing.
• Remedial instruction was given to all who did not meet the criteria.

Conclusions:

• The competency-based program successfully ensured all house staff attained minimum interviewing competence.
• Objective assessment and remediation are effective in improving pediatric resident communication skills.
• This program establishes a benchmark for evaluating and enhancing clinical interviewing abilities in pediatric training.