Role-play and simulated patient as methodologies of developing communication skills and empathy of medical students

Abstract

The authors have developed a method of psychoeducational psychotherapy within the framework of restorative treatment of patients by general practitioners using communication skills. A course that includes a role-play with simulated patients, aimed at developing communication skills and empathy among medical students is presented. The article analyzes the degree of medical students’ success in developing communication skills and empathy using a role-playing game with a simulated patient for further use in practical medicine in terms of psychoeducational psychotherapy for effective communication with patients. The authors developed a training course that is different from traditional communication training in many ways. The checklist of the examination station “Gathering information and anamnesis” was used as an assessment tool. Empathy was assessed using the CARE questionnaire. Medical students demonstrated differentiated verbal and non-verbal communication during the role-play. It is shown in the manuscript that the proposed methodology has definite advantages, and that more detailed training in non-verbal communication may be required in order to increase students' awareness of this type of communication, as well as to increase the effectiveness of doctor-patient interaction. The data presented in this study indicate that the proposed methodology of teaching communication skills – role-playing with a simulated patient – allows to significantly develop communication skills and empathy among medical students.