By Judi Marraccini
Health Matters with Dr. David: Becoming a Doctor
ArkansasMatters.com March 4, 2011
This is a web article and also a video posted by Dr. David Lipschitz of the University of Arkansas Medical School (UAMS).
Dr. Lipschitz writes about how medical students learn the art of patient / doctor communication. “The most powerful tool at their (doctors’) disposal is to communicate effectively with their patients . . . find out what they’re (patients) hearing and hear what they say.” UAMS uses SPs and records the the student / SP interactions.
Lipschitz’s daughter, Riley, is featured in the article as a medical student interacting with an SP, and describes how even though she knows the SPs are simulating, once the scenario begins her stress level rises as she comes to believe the pain is real.
The article also quotes Dr. Sara Tariq: “Almost all of us have experienced some doctor visit where we left unsatisfied, where we didn’t feel like we were heard, where we didn’t even understand what the doctor was saying.”
Readers may find that the video is better than the article. It shows an SP/student interaction and highlights why SPs are so integral to patient communication issues.
ASPE News 