A communication skills course for preclinical students: evaluation of general practice based teaching using group...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Communication Skills Training
• General Practice

Background:

• Effective doctor-patient communication is crucial for medical students before clinical years.
• General practitioners possess valuable interviewing expertise for medical education.
• Developing interviewing skills early enhances diagnostic accuracy and patient rapport.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the preclinical communication skills course at St. George's Hospital Medical School.
• To evaluate the impact of general practitioner-led small-group teaching on medical students' interviewing skills.
• To assess the effectiveness of specific interviewing behaviors in eliciting patient information.

Main Methods:

• A preclinical communication skills course was implemented.
• Students participated in small-group sessions with general practitioners.
• Students analyzed videotaped general practice consultations, identifying helpful and unhelpful interviewing behaviors.
• Rapid group methods were used for evaluation.

Main Results:

• Students with prior small-group interviewing experience identified significantly more helpful and unhelpful behaviors in consultations.
• Students perceived the teaching as relevant and effective for developing necessary interviewing skills.
• The intervention group showed a marked improvement in recognizing nuanced communication techniques.

Conclusions:

• Small-group teaching by general practitioners significantly enhances preclinical medical students' ability to discern effective doctor-patient communication strategies.
• Practical, small-group training is vital for developing essential interviewing skills.
• Rapid group evaluation methods are effective for assessing communication skills training in large medical school classes.