title: Being a patient: a medical student's perspective.
abstract: Medical education follows the clinical drive toward patient-centered care and, therefore, puts strong emphasis on the development of empathy by medical students. It has, however, been found that there is a decline in empathy throughout a student's education. Students' participation in role-play as the doctor has been proved to improve patient care in a clinical capacity. Here, it is proposed that patient role-play can enhance patient care holistically, by enhancing key communication skills and student's empathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London.
authors.forename: Dara
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rasasingam
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Birmingham Medical School, Birmingham.
authors.forename: Georgina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kerry
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London.
authors.forename: Shyam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gokani
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, St. George's, University of London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zargaran
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ash
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London.
authors.forename: Aaina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mittal
keywords: empathy; medical education; role-play