Abstract
BackgroundUse of standardized (or simulated) patients (SP) is considered an effective teaching method for improving clinical and communication skills. This study assesses the effect of a single-day simulated patients (SP)-based training course on medical students’ communication and basic skills in clinical psychiatry during their psychiatry rotation in a university-affiliated tertiary medical center.MethodsForty-two third-year medical students participated. Communication and basic skills in clinical psychiatry were evaluated by a modified Four Habits Coding Scale (4HCS) and the psychiatric interview coding scale before and after SP training. An actual patient interview by the students 1 week after the training was evaluated by an attending psychiatrist blinded to the student’s score during the SP-based training. Self-report questionnaires on satisfaction from the training and its impact on their self-confidence were administered at the end of training.FindingsThe mean pre-training 4HCS score of 33.9 increased to 52.3 post-training (p < 0.001). The mean psychiatric interview coding scale score increased from 4.33 to 5.36 (p = 0.002). The self-report questionnaire yielded a mean score of 4.21 on a 1–5 Likert scale, implying high levels of satisfaction and self-confidence.ConclusionsA single SP-based training course of medical students sufficed to improve clinical and communication skills in psychiatric settings and enhance their subjective perception of those skills.
Highlights
Simulation has a unique role as an effective training method in bridging the gap between education and clinical practice
The St. George University of London (SGUL) program study was conducted in January 2018, and the Tel-Aviv University (TAU) program study was conducted in May 2018
We found a significant improvement in all the 4HCS domains, and in the mean Mental Status Coding Scale (MSCS) score, implying improvement in both communication and clinical skills
Summary
Simulation has a unique role as an effective training method in bridging the gap between education and clinical practice. The use of trained actors as simulated patients (SP) offers numerous advantages in medical education that have been well reviewed in the literature [1, 2]. SP-based methodology has a rich history in medical education, its use in psychiatry training has started to emerge only more recently [5, 6]. Use of standardized (or simulated) patients (SP) is considered an effective teaching method for improving clinical and communication skills. This study assesses the effect of a single-day simulated patients (SP)-based training course on medical students’ communication and basic skills in clinical psychiatry during their psychiatry rotation in a university-affiliated tertiary medical center
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