Assessing communication skills for medical interviews in a postgraduate clinical training course at Hiroshima University Dental Hospital

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate and clarify the effectiveness of our method of teaching communication and interview skills for medical interviews. Subjects were 18 first-year residents, enrolled in a postgraduate clinical training course at Hiroshima University Dental Hospital. Subjects underwent two objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), and the results of instructor and resident assessments of various elements dealing with necessary communication skills for conducting medical interviews were analysed. A statistically significant correlation between assessments of instructors and residents was observed in one element: confirming patient identity and introducing self (r = 0.812, p < 0.001) in the first interview. However, a statistically significant correlation between assessments of instructors and residents was observed in four elements in the second interview: greeting the patient (r = 0.548, p < 0.05), maintaining physical distance (r = 0.582, p < 0.05), showing empathy (r = 0.601, p < 0.05), summarizing and reconfirming patient complaints (r = 0.628, p < 0.01). Total scores given by instructors in the second OSCE were higher than those in the first OSCE (p < 0.001). The correlation coefficients of the total score in the first and second interviews were r = 0.020 and 0.679 (p < 0.01), respectively. These results may suggest the educational effectiveness of OSCE on the acquisition of communication skills for medical interviews. However, the results of resident self-assessments reveal that OSCE should be performed at least twice in order for residents to acquire the necessary communication skills for medical interviews.

Teaching and Assessment of Dentist‐Patient Communication Skills: A Systematic Review to Identify Best‐Evidence Methods

“…Two studies’ authors argued that these methods could be used in both clinical and preclinical years of study, as they had proved valuable for knowledge acquisition and understanding 7 , 28 . Role‐playing, patient interviewing, and clinical observation were discussed in teaching communication skills especially in the clinical years of dental study 6 , 24 – 27 , 29 . Two studies found these methods were useful in distinguishing effective from ineffective communication skills, and dental students showed positive attitudes toward learning such skills 13 , 30 .…”

“…There was wide variation in assessment measures in the included articles. Some authors applied widely used measures like the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), 29 , 34 written assessments, 35 reflective exercises, 26 , 28 , 32 , 35 role‐playing, 35 direct observation, 24 , 26 , 32 self‐assessment, 24 , 25 , 32 and patient feedback 27 , 28 , 32 , 36 . Others applied new assessment instruments that had been validated in other areas of health professions education, like the Calgary‐Cambridge concept (CCOG), 6 the behavioral observation rating scale, 31 the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS), 25 the Masters Interview Rating Scale (MIRS), 37 and the Arizona Clinical Interviewing Rating (ACIR) 10 , 36 .…”

Assessment formats in dental medicine: An overview

“…Also used in dental education to evaluate communication skills [103], [104], problem-solving skills, and critical thinking [105]. …”

Comparison of Written Examinations Required for Dental Licensure in Japan and the United States: Contents, Cognitive Levels, and Cultural Implications

“…Mandatory internship in a postgraduate clinical training course will be required for new dentists in Japan starting in 2006. [18][19][20][21][22][23][24] In terms of cognitive level, a limitation of the information reported in this article is that the validity of item classification was not established because the number of people who have completed both the NBDE and the NED is small. Thus, some items (6.3 percent) were impossible to classify.…”