title: Cancer pain education: the use of a structured clinical instruction module to enhance learning among medical students.
abstract: The Structured Clinical Instruction Module (SCIM) is an educational format developed for the teaching of clinical and interpersonal skills. The purpose of this study was to develop and pilot-test a SCIM to enhance medical students' learning and understanding about cancer pain assessment and management. The Cancer Pain SCIM was presented to 34 third-year medical students. Eight instructors and six standardized patients (five cancer patients) participated in the course. All participants evaluated the course using a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree). Students self-assessed their clinical skills before and after the course using a five-point scale (1 = not competent; 5 = very competent). Students agreed [mean (S.D.)] very strongly that the SCIM was a valuable educational experience [4.4 (0.56)] and that it was beneficial to use actual cancer patients in the SCIM [4.5 (0.63)]. Students believed their skills in the assessment and management of cancer pain significantly improved after the course. The SCIM is a valuable and novel instructional format to teach essential skills in the assessment and management of cancer pain to medical students.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Surgery, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, USA.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Plymale
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Sloan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: LaFountain
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Snapp
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Sloan
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D004501:Education, Medical; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D059408:Pain Management; D013337:Students, Medical; D013663:Teaching