A randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of combining video roleplay with traditional methods of delivering undergraduate medical education

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of video role play with structure d feedback in improving undergraduate communication skills and application of knowledge in genitourinary medicine. Design: A blind, randomised, controlled trial. Subjects and setting: Fourth year undergraduates attending a 5 week attachm ent in genitourinary medicine during 1997 at a London medical school. Intervention: A randomly selected sample group of undergraduates were filme d in the role of a doctor interviewing a patient (played by an actor) prese nting with a genitourinary (GU) problem. Structured feedback by a GU physic ian and an educational psychologist was given a week later. The control gro up of undergraduates did not receive this training intervention. Outcome measures: Student performance in two stations of an objective struc tured clinical examination (OSCE), administered at the end of their attachm ent. This tested communication skills and knowledge in GU settings. Results: 132 undergraduates were assessed in the OSCE. 40 of these were in the sample group who received training using video role play with feedback and 92 were in the control group. The sample group scored significantly hig her marks than the control group (p <0.001). Conclusions: Video role play with structured feedback is effective in impro ving undergraduate communication skills and application of knowledge in GU medicine settings.