title: Short communication: final year students' deficits in physical examination skills performance in Germany.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The physical examination of patients is an important diagnostic competence, but little is known about the examination skills of final-year medical students.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate physical examination skills of final-year medical students.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional study, 40 final-year students were asked to perform a detailed physical examination on standardized patients. Their performances were video-recorded and rated by independent video assessors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Video ratings showed a mean success rate of 40.1 % (SD 8.2). As regards accompanying doctor-patient communication, final-year students achieved a mean of no more than 36.7 % (SD 8.9) in the appropriate use of the corresponding communication items.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study revealed severe deficits among final-year medical students in performing a detailed physical examination on a standardized patient. Thus, physical examination skills training should aim to improve these deficits while also paying attention to communicative aspects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: markus.krautter@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krautter
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Medical Centre, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Diefenbacher
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Medical Centre, Heidelberg, Germany; Department. of General Practice and Health Services Research, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Nadja
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koehl-Hackert
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Medical Centre, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Buss
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Medical Centre, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nagelmann
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Medical Centre, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Herzog
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Medical Centre, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jünger
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg, Medical Centre, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nikendei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016544:Patient Simulation; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000592:standards*; D011231:Preceptorship; D014741:Video Recording
keywords: Körperliche Untersuchung; Physical examination skills; Skills Lab Training; medizinische Ausbildung; procedural skills; prozedurale Fähigkeiten; skills lab training; undergraduate medical education