Enhancing Empathy in Medical Communication Through Perspective-Taking
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
Background: Empathy is critical to clinician-patient communication and patient outcomes. Perspective-taking, an intervention demonstrated in other contexts to induce empathy, has never been studied in a medical context. As a first step in evaluating its potential clinical value, the studies described below assess perspective taking in a series of clinical skills examinations. These examinations are simulated clinical encounters: students encounter and are evaluated by standardized patients (SPs)--actors trained to take on patient roles. Though not real clinical encounters, clinical skills examinations have been demonstrated to test clinical competency well enough to be incorporated into the licensure examination of the National Board of Medical Examiners.
Objective: To assess if perspective-taking improves the satisfaction of standardized patients in three clinical skills examinations.
Hypothesis: Students receiving a perspective taking intervention will receive better standardized patient satisfaction scores than control students.
Design and Setting: Three randomized, controlled studies. Studies 1 and 3: Junior medical students(N = 503), 6-station clinical skills examination. Study 2: physician assistant students (N = 105), 3-station clinical skills examination.
Intervention: The intervention students received a perspective-taking instruction prior to their examination asking them to put themselves in their "patients" shoes and to imagine what they were thinking and feeling. The control students received standard pre-examination instructions. Simulated patients were blind to study condition. Main Outcome Measure: Simulated patient satisfaction scores.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
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N/A |
Detailed Description
These studies assess the interaction of students and simulated patients (actors)--no real patients were involved.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Perspective taking intervention Students were given an instruction to take the perspectives of their standardized patients |
Behavioral: Perspective taking instruction
Students were asked to take the perspective of their standardized patients during clinical skills examinations
|
| Active Comparator: Control Students given standard instructions |
Behavioral: Perspective taking instruction
Students were asked to take the perspective of their standardized patients during clinical skills examinations
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- standardized patient satisfaction []
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- All third year medical and first and second year physician assistant students, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Exclusion Criteria:
- None
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Washington University School of Medicine | Washington | District of Columbia | United States | 20037 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- George Washington University
Investigators
- Study Director: Benjamin C Blatt, MD, George Washington University
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- PT2009