title: The effect of using standardized patients or peer role play on ratings of undergraduate communication training: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Considering the expense of standardized patients (SP) for training communication skills and the convenience of peer role playing (RP) there is a surprising lack of studies directly comparing the two methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifth year medical students (N=103) were assigned to three groups receiving a training in counseling parents of sick children with RP (N=34) or SP (N=35) or to a control group (CG, N=34). We assessed self-efficacy, as well as objective performance in parent-physician communication using questionnaires and the Calgary-Cambridge-Observation-Guide Checklist in a six-station OSCE, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The training led to an increase in self-efficacy ratings and in the post-intervention OSCE score after RP (p<.021 and p<.001 respectively) and SP-training (p<.007 and p<.006 respectively) compared to controls. Surprisingly, this benefit was higher after RP than after SP-training (p<.021) due to significantly higher performance in the domain understanding of parents'perspective (p<.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both RP and SP are valuable tools for training specific communication skills. RP offer a methodological advantage in fostering empathy for patient perspectives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both peer-role-play and standardized patients hold specific benefits for communication training. Peer-role-play seems to foster a more empathic approach towards patients' concerns justifying its prominent role in medical curricula.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for General Pediatrics, Centre for Child and Adolescent Medicine, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany. HansMartin.Bosse@med.uni-duesseldorf.de
authors.forename: Hans Martin
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Bosse
authors.forename: Jobst-Hendrik
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Schultz
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nickel
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lutz
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Möltner
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jünger
authors.forename: Sören
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huwendiek
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nikendei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016544:Patient Simulation; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education; D010379:Peer Group; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D012381:Role Playing; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult