title: A medical interviewing curriculum intervention for medical students' assessment of suicide risk.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Effective communication strategies are required to assess suicide risk. The authors determined whether a 2-hour simulated-patient activity during a psychiatry clerkship improved self-assessment of medical interviewing skills relevant to suicide risk-assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the 2-hour simulated-patient intervention, at least one psychiatrist, a non-clinician communication expert, and a specifically-trained simulated patient worked with groups of 4-6 students to address student-identified challenges with patient encounters involving suicide risk-assessment. Six of twelve clerkships between July 2010 and October 2011 were assigned to this educational intervention in addition to a communications curriculum.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On a retrospective pre-post self-assessment, the 61 of 118 students assigned to the intervention group reported greater improvements in relevant skills. The process of discovering/responding to patients' feelings and identifying/addressing verbal and nonverbal cues specifically improved.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The psychiatry clerkship provides a unique opportunity to reinforce and develop communications skills with a formal, skills-based curriculum.
authors.forename: Jess G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Fiedorowicz
authors.forename: Jodi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tate
authors.forename: Anthony C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Ellen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gourley
authors.forename: Marcy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002982:Clinical Clerkship / Q000592:standards; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000592:standards*; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013405:Suicide