Practical training of patient-centred diagnosis communication

Abstract

One of the treating physician’s important tasks is to properly inform patients. This is both a legal and a moral obligation. In order to provide information in “a language comprehensible to the patient”, the physician must consciously switch
from the professional medical jargon to everyday language. Starting from the autumn semester of the 2020/21 academic year, the Department of Languages for Specific Purposes of Semmelweis University in cooperation with the Department
of Languages for Biomedical Purposes and Communication at the University of Pécs Medical School launched a new LSP subject. Tailored to the clinical subjects, the elective course is designed to allow senior students to practice the
terminological code switching and communication strategies required when communicating the diagnoses related to the major medical fields, based on authentic, anonymized hospital discharge reports. The medical part of the course
has been prepared with the help of a doctor, and the practical classes involve terminologists and communication specialists as well as a psychologist. Patient roles are performed by pre-trained undergraduate teaching assistants, who support
the practical implementation of code-switching skills and patient information in a relevant way based on their knowledge of the medical history. The present study aims to publish the preliminary results of a questionnaire survey conducted among the course participants. The teaching assistants trained as simulated patients and the students acting in the role of the physician were asked about their experience related to diagnosis communication, including proper use of terminology in code switching, the communication skills of the participants, student satisfaction, and increase in self-confidence.