Assessing residents' behavioral science skills: patients' views of physician-patient interaction

Although residents' interactive skills within the physician-patient relationship are important in behavioral science training, these skills are often difficult to define and even more difficult to evaluate. Evaluation of these skills through direct observation by faculty miss the patient's perspective. Scales that have been developed to obtain the patient's perspective have generally been based on the researcher's definition of what is important in the physician-patient interaction, and few of these studies have adequate reliability and validity information. This study was conducted to identify physician behaviors that patients themselves consider to be important in the physician-patient interaction and then to develop a reliable, valid scale to evaluate residents' ability to perform these skills. Several factors were identified as important to patients in the physician-patient interaction, including being informed about their examination, treatment, and diagnosis, being treated by the physician in a respectful manner, and having the physician listen to their concerns and take their individual needs into consideration when prescribing treatment. A reliable and valid questionnaire was developed that can be used to assist faculty in assessing residents' skills in this area from the patient's perspective.