Advances in Medical Education and Practice (Feb 2017)
Searching for a written patient feedback instrument for patient–medical student consultations
Abstract
Nicola Hogan,1 Henry Li,1 Carmel Pezaro,2 Noel Roberts,2 Erica Schmidt,3 Jenepher Martin2 1Monash School of Medicine, Monash University, 2Medical Student Programs, Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University and Deakin University, 3Student Academic Support Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia Objective: The Patient Teaching Associate (PTA) program at Eastern Health Clinical School uses volunteer patients with chronic illnesses in consultation-based medical student education. The PTA program aims to develop students’ patient-centeredness and associated skills. Our study aims, 1) to identify key desirable characteristics of written patient feedback to doctors and/or students that focuses on patient-centeredness in consultations, and 2) to critically evaluate existing instruments to identify any suitable instrument for use for medical student teaching. Methods: We reviewed our experience with the PTA program and explored the literature on patient-centeredness and patient feedback to identify desirable characteristics of written feedback for our program. A systematic search was conducted to identify existing patient feedback instruments. These were then evaluated in light of criteria based on desirable characteristics.Results: Eight instruments met the inclusion criteria. While all were designed for patient use, none were ideal for the PTA program. The Doctors’ Interpersonal Skills Questionnaire (DISQ), while not used with medical students, is the closest fit to criteria. Conclusion: The lack of instruments specifically designed for written patient feedback to medical students highlights a gap in the current literature. Practice implications: The DISQ provides a good basis for developing a new feedback instrument focused on patient-centeredness in medical students. Keywords: medical students, patient-centeredness, patient teaching associates, written feedback
