Communication competencies required of medical students for delivering bad news

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24790506
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Medical sociology
• Research Institution: Fukushima Medical University
• Principal Investigator: SUGAWARA Akiko 福島県立医科大学, 医学部, 助手 (40566808)
• Research Collaborator: ISHIKAWA Kazunobu 福島県立医科大学, 医療人育成・支援センター, 准教授 (80222959) ; KOBAYASHI Gen 福島県立医科大学, 医療人育成・支援センター, 助教 (20423791) ; MOTOYA Ryo 福島県立医科大学, 医療人育成・支援センター, 助教 (20584189) ; MOROI Yoko 福島県立医科大学, 医療人育成・支援センター, 助手 (20443872)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 医療コミュニケーション / 悪い知らせ / 医学教育 / 医学生 / RIAS

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Physician’s communication skills in breaking bad news are essential. Training opportunities for medical students regarding such skills are limited in Japan. To improve these conditions, we have introduced a training program with simulated patients (SPs) for fifth-year medical students.
We analyzed the characteristics of simulated consultations where students delivered bad news to SPs, in order to explore the effective teaching strategies.
Most medical students successfully communicated to build a relationship, exchange information, and facilitate communication. However, they were more interested in providing medical information than acquiring the patient’s lifestyle and psychosocial information in information exchange aspect. Our study results also suggest different readiness and traits by gender for communication skills learning. We need to design and facilitate communication training taking account of gender difference for students’ effective learning.

Free Research Field

医学教育