A course for teaching patient-centered medicine to family medicine residents

In 1988 the Department of Family Medicine at Ben Gurion University of the N egev in Israel developed a course that helps residents to acquire the attit udes and skills required for practicing patient-centered medicine. In the p atient-centered approach, the physician relates to patients according to th eir needs rather than the doctor's own agenda, moving from professional con trol to patient empowerment. Though there are many elements to this method, certain basic orientations and skills are essential and must be taught, mo deled, and reinforced in trainees. To accomplish these aims, a three-year c ourse was developed, which is largely based on directed reading, open discu ssion, case presentations, role-plays, and Balint groups. It is composed of four levels, each of which must be mastered before residents can move to t he next. The levels are (1)doctor-patient communication; (2) family-systems theory-concepts; (3) family-systems theory-practical applications; and (4) multidimensional approaches to simulated patients. In this article, the au thors describe the course's concepts and content, and some indicators as to its influence on graduates.