Doctor-Patient Communication Training in Simulated Situations: Emotions and Perceptions of Simulated Patients during Patient-Centered Conversations

Introduction The use of simulated patients (SPs) for doctor-patient communication training has been established in medical curricula as an important didactic method. The study addresses the question, if patients' emotions and perceptions are represented adequately in patient-centered communication. Materials and methods 22 of 37 SPs of the Medical University of Vienna (12 women, 10 men) were asked openly about their feelings after having acted as an SP in a semi-structured interview, which employed the Critical Incident Technique. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, separated into situational analysis units und analyzed deductively; we used the evidence based qualities of patient-centered communication and the Nationaler Kompetenzbasierter Lernzielkatalog Medizin as a guideline. Results Out of 192 analysis units, 67 were evaluated as positive and 125 as negative. The SPs reported positive feelings, such as perceiving stability and trust in relationships (22%), perception of congruence (15%), acceptance (27%) and empathy (36%). As to negative feelings, SPs reported perceiving instability (18%), incongruence (11%), lack of acceptance (40%) and lack of empathy (30%). Additionally, 50% of SPs were positively affected when observing students' learning success. Discussion When SPs perceived patient-centered communication, they reported positive emotions. A lack of patient centeredness, on the contrary, provoked negative emotions. An empathic attitude, as well as a lack of acceptance with contrary effects had the strongest influence on the SPs' mental state. The reaction of SPs to patient centeredness is sufficiently authentic to reach learning objectives, however it is also affected by reactions of SPs to the learning success of students, which is irrelevant for the real-life doctor-patient interaction. Conclusion SP reactions are affected by students' attitudes. Students should therefore be prepared well before interacting with SPs in a roleplay setting. While SPs' behavior is authentic in patient-centered communication in general, SPs should be trained to hide their positive emotions concerning students' learning success during roleplay.