Objective: The ability to talk to patients is an important medical competence. Therefore, new teaching methods need to be developed and their usefulness and effectiveness studied. The objective of the study was to determine whether there are differences in the acquisition of communication skills or student evaluation depending on whether the simulated conversation is carried out in a high-fidelity simulation practice (“To Train U”, TTU) or in a traditional seminar room (SR). Methods: The study was carried out in the context of the biochemistry seminar titled “from genes to proteins”, which is part of the preclinical study portion of the Ulm School of Human Medicine. In addition to biochemical fields of study, it also includes a simulated consultation to train medical communication. One group carried out the simulated consultation in a seminar room (SR group, n=91), the other group in a high-fidelity simulation practice (TTU group; n=131). Both groups completed a communication competency test before and after the simulation, which was used to test Bloom’s level II-IV. An online evaluation was completed after the simulation. Results: Both groups showed significant increases in their overall communication competence scores. The TTU group improved significantly with regard to Bloom levels II and IV, the SR group only with regard to Level II. The TTU group reported higher satisfaction levels and perceived the simulation to be more realistic and conducive to learning than the SR group. Conclusion: High-fidelity simulation practices provide an innovative learning environment that enhances the student skills, motivation and satisfaction. Future studies should examine whether training in such settings may have lasting effects on the medical practice.
Saitta et al. (Wed,) studied this question.