title: Through patient eyes: Can third-year medical students deliver the care patients expect?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patient-centered approaches have a positive impact on adherence to treatment, self-management of chronic disease, and patient satisfaction. We seek to graduate physicians who provide effective Patient-Centered Care (PCC). The aims of this research were to (a) include the patients' perspectives in describing behaviors essential to effective PCC, (b) create an authentic, credible tool to assess these behaviors in third-year medical students, and (c) validate the assessment tool through the eyes of our patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  To develop and validate PCC behaviors we (a) developed PCC descriptors that included patient perspectives, (b) developed scenarios for students to demonstrate PCC, (c) administered the PCC-Objective Structured Clinical Exam, and (d) used the patient perspective to validate results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Faculty and students found the PCC-OSCE to be an authentic experience. Students received abundant individualized feedback and demonstrated strong performance in communicating effectively, avoiding medical jargon, listening actively, demonstrating empathy, and leading critical conversations. Patient critiques of exemplary performances confirmed that the PCC-OSCE assesses elements the patients viewed as essential to PCC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Incorporating the patients' perspective aids in better understanding professional competencies and legitimizes the assessment.
authors.affiliation: a University of Missouri - Columbia , USA.
authors.forename: Kimberly G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.affiliation: a University of Missouri - Columbia , USA.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Griggs
authors.affiliation: a University of Missouri - Columbia , USA.
authors.forename: Joe F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Donaldson
authors.affiliation: a University of Missouri - Columbia , USA.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rentfro
authors.affiliation: b Stony Brook University School of Medicine , USA.
authors.forename: Wei-Hsin
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Lu