Medical communication training is being challenged to meet the demands of a more internationalized world. As a result, interdisciplinary simulation-based education is designed to advance clinical skill development, specifically in doctor-patient interactions. The Standardized Patient Program has been applied in American Medical Schools since the 1960s, implementing patient profiles based on authentic cases. At the University of Pécs, Medical School in Hungary, this model is being adapted to facilitate improving patientinterviewing, problem-solving, and medical reporting skills. The interdisciplinary program operates in Hungarian, German and English languages, utilizing actors to perform as simulated patients under the close observation of medical specialists and linguists.This innovative course is designed to train students to successfully collect patient histories while navigating medical, linguistic, emotional, and sociocultural complexities of patients. Experts in medicine and language assess student performance, offering feedback and providing individualized training that students might improve their professional and communicative competencies. This paper examines how this interdisciplinary course provides valuable opportunities for more efficient patient-oriented communication practices. Through responding to medical emergencies, miscommunications, and conflicts in a safe environment, medical students prepare to deal with a diverse patient context, that more qualified and empathetic health personnel may be employed throughout clinics worldwide.
Empathy plays an essential role in communication between doctor and patient, which can facilitate treatment. Therefore, it is crucial to develop communication and empathic skills of medical students through experiential role-playing at the Medical School. This study focuses on methods improving empathy of medical students in doctor (student) - patient (actor) simulated role-plays. The purpose of our research was to identify factors that promote the development and expression of empathy in medical encounters. We aim to investigate the language of clinical empathy: how medical students can use the language to build empathetic communication. The authentic case-based role-plays provide sociolinguistic tools for interactions and for expressing empathy as well as reassuring the patient’s emotions. Our study demonstrates how empathic communication skills form a more effective doctor-patient relationship, leading to greater patient satisfaction and better patient compliance. Keywords: empathy training, the language of empathetic communication, medical education, simulation, verbal and non-verbal clinical communication
IntroductionThe most prevalent food allergy in younger children is cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA), a hypersensitivity reaction to cow's milk protein and its most common clinical manifestation is allergic colitis. The goal of our recent study was to assess somatic symptoms of CMPA and to prospectively observe the effects of a dairy elimination diet using objective parameters and questionnaires.MethodsThe County Hospital in Szekszárd, Hungary, investigated children aged 1 to 18 who had clinical signs that might indicate CMPA. Stool samples were taken and analyzed using a fecal calprotectin (FC) rapid test (Quantum Blue fCAL, Bühlmann Laboratories, Switzerland) at the time of the diagnosis and following 3 months of an elimination diet. At the baseline visit as well as the first and second follow-up, questionnaires were filled out. Patients were divided into two subgroups according to dietary guidelines based on the results of the questionnaires.ResultsA total of 47 patients participated in the study [42.55% female, mean age: 7.36 (SD 4.22) years]. There was no significant difference in FC levels between baseline and after 3-month elimination diet [73.98 (71.12) μg/g and 68.11 (74.4) μg/g, respectively, p = 0.331]. After three months, there was a significant decrease in FC levels among patients who adhered to the strict diet [84.06 (79.48) μg/g and 41.11 (34.24) μg/g, respectively, p = 0.001].ConclusionThe findings of our study suggest that FC can be an objective marker in confirming the diagnosis of CMPA. Significant improvement in clinical symptoms and in FC levels can only be expected after a strictly followed elimination diet.
Endurance training-induced changes in left ventricular diastolic function and right ventricular parameters have been investigated extensively in adolescent athletes. Our aim was to examine the parameters for adolescent athletes (n=121, 15.1±1.6 years) compared to adult athletes and age-matched non-athletes. We explored the effects of influencing factors on the echocardiographic parameters. Significantly higher E/A (p<0.05) and e’ values (p<0.001) were detected in adolescent athletes compared to age-matched non-athletes’ and also adult athletes’ parameters. Significantly lower structural and functional right ventricular parameters (p<0.05) were detected in adult athletes. In adolescent athletes significantly higher right ventricular diameters, tricuspid S wave, right ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic area values (p<0.05) were found compared to the matching parameters of non-athletes. We found significantly higher corrected tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion values (p<0.001) in athletes compared to the non-athletes. Based on multivariate analysis lean body mass, body surface area, age and cumulative training time were proved as strong predictive factors of both left ventricular diastolic and right ventricular parameters. Supernormal left ventricular diastolic function and significantly higher right ventricular parameters are indicative of cardiac adaptation. Well-defined cut-off values should be applied to discriminate pathological conditions in the relation of the influencing factors.
Cow’s milk protein allergy is one of the most common pediatric food allergies. It poses a significant socioeconomic burden in industrialized countries and has a profound effect on the quality of life of affected individuals and their families. Diverse immunologic pathways can lead to the clinical symptoms of cow’s milk protein allergy; some of the pathomechanisms are known in detail, but others need further elucidation. A comprehensive understanding of the development of food allergies and the features of oral tolerance could have the potential to unlock more precise diagnostic tools and novel therapeutic approaches for patients with cow’s milk protein allergy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.