Prior experiences associated with residents' scores on a communication and interpersonal skill OSCE.
OBJECTIVE
This exploratory study investigated whether prior task experience and comfort correlate with scores on an assessment of patient-centered communication.


METHODS
A six-station standardized patient exam assessed patient-centered communication of 79 PGY2-3 residents in Internal Medicine and Family Medicine. A survey provided information on prior experiences. t-tests, correlations, and multi-factorial ANOVA explored relationship between scores and experiences.


RESULTS
Experience with a task predicted comfort but did not predict communication scores. Comfort was moderately correlated with communication scores for some tasks; residents who were less comfortable were indeed less skilled, but greater comfort did not predict higher scores. Female gender and medical school experiences with standardized patients along with training in patient-centered interviewing were associated with higher scores. Residents without standardized patient experiences in medical school were almost five times more likely to be rejected by patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Task experience alone does not guarantee better communication, and may instill a false sense of confidence. Experiences with standardized patients during medical school, especially in combination with interviewing courses, may provide an element of "deliberate practice" and have a long-term impact on communication skills.


CONCLUSIONS
The combination of didactic courses and practice with standardized patients may promote a patient-centered approach.
Yudkowsky
Rachel
R
Department of Medical Education, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, USA. rachely@uic.edu
Downing
Steven M
SM
Ommert
Dennis
D
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003142:Communication; D017579:Domestic Violence; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000592:standards; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000592:standards; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000592:standards; D016544:Patient Simulation; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000592:standards; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000592:standards; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012737:Sex Factors; D016312:Treatment Refusal; D014342:Truth Disclosure