Learning doctor-patient communication: does co-teaching help?

Background: The first part of the medical interview is perhaps one of the most significant components of the doctor's role. How to collect relevant information and how to build a therapeutic relationship with the patient must be taught during the undergraduate curriculum. Clinical teachers have little experience in the teaching skills required to help students learn about doctor-patient communication. Aim: To measure outcomes and perceptions of using a co-teaching model in a course on interviewing during the third year of medical school in the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. Material and Methods: A mixed methods controlled study in which the intervention group participated in a co-teaching workshop with a clinical teacher and a specialist in doctor-patient communication skills (SDPC). The control group participated in a workshop with one clinical teacher. All students completed a questionnaire measuring perception of their learning in communication skills. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the clinical teachers' perception. At the end of the course, the clinical and communication skills of all the students were measured in an objective structured clinical examination. Results: Students and teachers agreed that co-teaching allows greater emphasis and practice in communication skills. The results of the objective structured clinical examination show that despite this greater emphasis, no deleterious effect on the clinical skills was demonstrated during the exam. Conclusions: The use of co-teaching in a course on interviewing allows students to perceive a higher level of learning in communication skills, and possibly enhances their skills. The clinical teachers felt that the co-teacher was an important support. (Rev Med Chile 2012; 140: 396-403).