Maximizing the acquisition of core communication skills at the start of medical training
Hasan Mohiaddin,1 Anam Malik,1 Ged M Murtagh21Faculty of Medicine, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK; 2Division of Surgery, Department of Surgery and Cancer, St Mary’s Campus, Imperial College London, London W2 1BL, UKCorre...
Main Authors: | , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Dove Medical Press
2019-08-01
|
Series: | Advances in Medical Education and Practice |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.dovepress.com/maximizing-the-acquisition-of-core-communication-skills-at-the-start-o-peer-reviewed-article-AMEP |
id |
doaj-36cfd654f9084e778a43223222cd0f62 |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-36cfd654f9084e778a43223222cd0f622020-11-24T21:21:09ZengDove Medical PressAdvances in Medical Education and Practice1179-72582019-08-01Volume 1072773548153Maximizing the acquisition of core communication skills at the start of medical trainingMohiaddin HMalik AMurtagh GMHasan Mohiaddin,1 Anam Malik,1 Ged M Murtagh21Faculty of Medicine, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK; 2Division of Surgery, Department of Surgery and Cancer, St Mary’s Campus, Imperial College London, London W2 1BL, UKCorrespondence: Hasan MohiaddinFaculty of Medicine, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UKTel +44 207 589 5111Email hasan.mohiaddin14@imperial.ac.ukBackground: Clinical communication teaching for medical undergraduates may involve real patient contact alongside simulated patient (SP) contact. However, there is still comparatively little known about the experience of learning with real patients and how that may impact on the SP encounter.Aim: To explore the impact of real patient contact on the experience of communication skills training and SP contact for first-year medical undergraduate students.Methods: As part of the 6-year MBBS undergraduate medical degree at Imperial College London, students are obliged to undertake communication skills training, which involves teaching with simulated and real patients. In 2017 (toward the end of formal teaching), a small sample of Year 1 medical students, who had taken part in extra-curricular teaching with real patients were recruited for the study to compare their performance with a control group in a SP encounter. The performance of both groups was analyzed alongside follow-up focus group data from a sample of the study group.Results: Quantitative analysis revealed there was no significant difference in communication skills during a scored SP interview between students with real patient contact and those without. Focus group data, however, revealed valuable insights into the experience of learning with real patients. Students reported a marked increase in their confidence and ability to naturalize their communication skills as a result of real patient contact. Students also reported that skills gained through real patient contact may not always transfer easily to the SP setting.Conclusion: Real patient contact is an invaluable component of communication training for undergraduate medical students. For successful implementation, there needs to be a clear curricular purpose at pedagogical, practical and organizational levels. Students’ experience of real patient contact can provide an informed foundation upon which to implement other modes of teaching.Keywords: real patient contact, communication skills training, early years curriculumhttps://www.dovepress.com/maximizing-the-acquisition-of-core-communication-skills-at-the-start-o-peer-reviewed-article-AMEPReal patient contactCommunication skills trainingEarly years curriculum |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Mohiaddin H Malik A Murtagh GM |
spellingShingle |
Mohiaddin H Malik A Murtagh GM Maximizing the acquisition of core communication skills at the start of medical training Advances in Medical Education and Practice Real patient contact Communication skills training Early years curriculum |
author_facet |
Mohiaddin H Malik A Murtagh GM |
author_sort |
Mohiaddin H |
title |
Maximizing the acquisition of core communication skills at the start of medical training |
title_short |
Maximizing the acquisition of core communication skills at the start of medical training |
title_full |
Maximizing the acquisition of core communication skills at the start of medical training |
title_fullStr |
Maximizing the acquisition of core communication skills at the start of medical training |
title_full_unstemmed |
Maximizing the acquisition of core communication skills at the start of medical training |
title_sort |
maximizing the acquisition of core communication skills at the start of medical training |
publisher |
Dove Medical Press |
series |
Advances in Medical Education and Practice |
issn |
1179-7258 |
publishDate |
2019-08-01 |
description |
Hasan Mohiaddin,1 Anam Malik,1 Ged M Murtagh21Faculty of Medicine, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK; 2Division of Surgery, Department of Surgery and Cancer, St Mary’s Campus, Imperial College London, London W2 1BL, UKCorrespondence: Hasan MohiaddinFaculty of Medicine, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UKTel +44 207 589 5111Email hasan.mohiaddin14@imperial.ac.ukBackground: Clinical communication teaching for medical undergraduates may involve real patient contact alongside simulated patient (SP) contact. However, there is still comparatively little known about the experience of learning with real patients and how that may impact on the SP encounter.Aim: To explore the impact of real patient contact on the experience of communication skills training and SP contact for first-year medical undergraduate students.Methods: As part of the 6-year MBBS undergraduate medical degree at Imperial College London, students are obliged to undertake communication skills training, which involves teaching with simulated and real patients. In 2017 (toward the end of formal teaching), a small sample of Year 1 medical students, who had taken part in extra-curricular teaching with real patients were recruited for the study to compare their performance with a control group in a SP encounter. The performance of both groups was analyzed alongside follow-up focus group data from a sample of the study group.Results: Quantitative analysis revealed there was no significant difference in communication skills during a scored SP interview between students with real patient contact and those without. Focus group data, however, revealed valuable insights into the experience of learning with real patients. Students reported a marked increase in their confidence and ability to naturalize their communication skills as a result of real patient contact. Students also reported that skills gained through real patient contact may not always transfer easily to the SP setting.Conclusion: Real patient contact is an invaluable component of communication training for undergraduate medical students. For successful implementation, there needs to be a clear curricular purpose at pedagogical, practical and organizational levels. Students’ experience of real patient contact can provide an informed foundation upon which to implement other modes of teaching.Keywords: real patient contact, communication skills training, early years curriculum |
topic |
Real patient contact Communication skills training Early years curriculum |
url |
https://www.dovepress.com/maximizing-the-acquisition-of-core-communication-skills-at-the-start-o-peer-reviewed-article-AMEP |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT mohiaddinh maximizingtheacquisitionofcorecommunicationskillsatthestartofmedicaltraining AT malika maximizingtheacquisitionofcorecommunicationskillsatthestartofmedicaltraining AT murtaghgm maximizingtheacquisitionofcorecommunicationskillsatthestartofmedicaltraining |
_version_ |
1726000779078139904 |