Lcture versus role modeling: Acomparison of educational programs to enhance residents’ ability to communicate with patients about HIV

Abstract

This project compared lecture with role modeling as two educational interventions to enhance residents’ ability to communicate with patients about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A randomized split‐plot design compared residents’ knowledge and performance skills before and after each of the two educational interventions. Residents’ knowledge was evaluated by use of a 26‐item HIV questionnaire. Simulated patient interactions were used to assess residents’ performance. Lecture and modeling groups showed significant increases in knowledge scores, p < .0002, and performance scores, F(l, 6) = 76.08, p < .0001, from preintervention to postintervention testing. A significant interaction was found between time of test (before vs. after intervention) and educational intervention (lecture vs. modeling) for both knowledge and performance scores. The modeling group did significantly better from preintervention to postintervention testing compared to the lecture group for both knowledge scores, F(l, 6) = 9.78, p < .02, and performance scores, F(l, 6) = 18.65, p < .005. These results indicate that the educational intervention of modeling produced significantly greater increases in both tested knowledge about HIV and in expressing this knowledge to patients in simulated resident‐patient interactions.