COMPARISON OF STANDARDIZED PATIENTS AND FACULTY IN TEACHING MEDICAL INTERVIEWING

Purpose, This randomized controlled study compared the interviewing sk ills of first-year medical students receiving feedback primarily from standardized patients (SPs) with those of students receiving feedback primarily from faculty. Method, All 154 first-year students at the Uni versity of Oklahoma College of Medicine in 1993-94 were videotaped to assess baseline and post-instruction interviewing skills. All the stud ents, randomized to one of three study groups, attended two four hour workshops on interviewing skills. Instruction in the groups was as sim ilar as possible except in the matter of who provided feedback. Two ra ting systems were used to rate the videotaped interviews for performan ces of targeted skills. Results. Complete, usable data were available for 120 (78%) of the students. Skill ratings using the Arizona Clinica l Interview Rating Scale were significantly higher for the ''types of questions used'' and ''use of empathy'' items in the SP-led feedback g roup. No significant difference in ratings was detected among the grou ps as measured by the Rotor Interactional Analysis System. Conclusion. The SPs were at least as effective as the faculty in effecting behavi oral changes in the first-year medical students' interviewing skills.