The effect of training on medical students' responses to geriatric patient concerns: results of a linguistic analysis.
The results of a randomized, controlled study indicated that an experience-based educational intervention in which medical students interview volunteer nursing home residents significantly changed medical students' responses to two geriatric patient vignettes. Despite prevailing ageist biases, the intervention enhanced students' abilities to identify and respond therapeutically to hypothetical elderly patients' underlying expressions of concern and, furthermore, prepared students for patient-centered geriatric interviewing. The use of elderly volunteers to assist in practice interview sessions helps sensitize future physicians to the problems of aging and teaches them empathic communication skills.
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Robins
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Wolf
D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008037:Linguistics; D008824:Michigan; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods