The information-giving skills of resident physicians: relationships with confidence and simulated patient satisfaction.
BACKGROUND
Sharing information is crucial for discussion of problems and treatment decision making by patients and physicians. However, the focus of communication skills training in undergraduate medical education has been on building the relationship and gathering information; thus, resident physicians tend to be less confident about sharing information and planning treatment. This study evaluated the medical interviews conducted by resident physicians with a focus on information giving, and investigated its relationships with their confidence in communication and simulated patient (SP) satisfaction.


METHODS
Among 137 junior resident physicians at a university hospital in Japan who participated in a survey of communication skills, 25 volunteered to conduct simulated medical interviews. The medical interviews were video-recorded and analyzed using the Roter Interaction Analysis System, together with additional coding to explore specific features of information giving. The SPs evaluated their satisfaction with the medical interview.


RESULTS
Resident physicians who were more confident in their communication skills provided more information to the patients, while SP satisfaction was associated only with patient-prompted information giving. SPs were more satisfied when the physicians explained the rationales for their opinions and recommendations.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings underscore the importance of providing relevant information in response to the patient requests, and explaining the rationales for the opinions and recommendations. Further investigation is needed to clinically confirm our findings and develop an appropriate communication skills training program.
Department of Health Communication, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan. hirono-tky@umin.ac.jp.
Hirono
H
Ishikawa
International Research Center for Medical Education, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Daisuke
D
Son
General Education Center, University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Masato
M
Eto
International Research Center for Medical Education, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.|General Education Center, University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.|Present Address: International University of Health and Welfare, Chiba, Japan.
Kiyoshi
K
Kitamura
Department of Health Communication, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan.
Takahiro
T
Kiuchi
D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D016544:Patient Simulation; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012649:Self Concept; D055815:Young Adult
Communication skills training; Information giving; Postgraduate education; Residents; the RIAS