title: Translating medical documents into plain language enhances communication skills in medical students--A pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To train and assess undergraduate medical students' written communication skills by exercises in translating medical reports into plain language for real patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  27 medical students participated in a newly developed communication course. They attended a 3-h seminar including a briefing on patient-centered communication and an introduction to working with the internet platform http://washabich.de. In the following ten weeks, participants "translated" one medical report every fortnight on this platform receiving feedback by a near-peer supervisor. A pre- and post-course assignment consisted of a self-assessment questionnaire on communication skills, analysis of a medical text with respect to medical jargon, and the translation of a medical report into plain language.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the self-assessment, students rated themselves in most aspects of patient-centered communication significantly higher after attending the course. After the course they marked significantly more medical jargon terms correctly than before (p<0.001). In a written plain language translation of a medical report they scored significantly higher with respect to communicative aspects (p<0.05) and medical correctness (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Translating medical reports into plain language under near-peer supervision is associated with improved communication skills and medical knowledge in undergraduate medical students.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To include translation exercises in the undergraduate medical curriculum.
authors.affiliation: "Was hab' ich?" gGmbH, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bittner
authors.affiliation: "Was hab' ich?" gGmbH, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Ansgar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jonietz
authors.affiliation: "Was hab' ich?" gGmbH, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bittner
authors.affiliation: "Was hab' ich?" gGmbH, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Luise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Beickert
authors.affiliation: III Medical Clinic, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: harendza@uke.de.
authors.forename: Sigrid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harendza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D066209:Medical Writing; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014175:Translating; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Communication skills; Medical report; Patient understanding; Peer-teaching; Supervisor; Undergraduate medial education