A clear and understandable consultation with a doctor is vital to the success of medical treatment and is therefore a fundamental part of Medicine training. A study at Ulm University shows that a simulated doctor-patient consultation in a realistic simulation setting not only improves students’ communication skills but also boosts the motivation and satisfaction of trainee doctors. The findings have been published in the journal ‘GMS Journal for Medical Education’.
A consultation with a doctor can be a delicate matter, particularly when it involves a serious diagnosis with life-altering implications. The question is therefore: how should a doctor conduct the consultation so that the patient understands the information, feels that their questions are being taken seriously, and develops trust? “This is why great importance is attached to medical communication in medical degree programmes, and training in this area is constantly being systematically refined,” says Professor Susanne Kühl of Ulm University. She led the study at the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, which shows that students’ communication skills improve when the training consultation takes place in a realistic simulation setting. The trainee doctors are also more motivated and satisfied.
For the past ten years, the Biochemistry seminar ‘From Gene to Protein’ in the pre-clinical phase of the medical degree programme at the University of Ulm has been gradually optimised and continuously evaluated. “As a first step, we transformed the traditional teaching concept into an e-learning-based ‘inverted classroom’ concept. Students acquire the theoretical knowledge through individual study time, and the time thus freed up in the seminar is used for interactive exercises and discussions,” explains Professor Kühl. This means that medical communication skills can now also be practised during face-to-face lessons.
Specifically, the students were tasked with, in a simulated consultation scenario whilst in the role of a doctor, explaining the complex biochemical background of their child’s brittle bone disease (osteogenesis imperfecta) to a parent or grandparent, played by amateur actors. Osteogenesis imperfecta is a rare congenital condition that leads to significantly increased bone fragility and skeletal deformities. The simulated consultations initially took place in a seminar room in the presence of the entire group. Since the opening of the ToTrainU (TTU) training hospital in 2021, they have been conducted in the high-fidelity simulation clinics set up there. These consist of a consultation room for the discussion between students playing the role of doctors and the patient’s relative, as well as observation rooms where lecturers and students can follow the discussion.
As part of his doctoral thesis, Leonard Saitta has now investigated the benefits and effectiveness of this innovation. The aim was to assess both student satisfaction and the acquisition of skills in medical communication. To this end, the medical consultation took place in the TTU’s simulation practice for one group of students (the experimental group) and, for the other group, in the traditional seminar room.
“The students who conducted their consultation in the simulation lab were more satisfied and found the situation to be more realistic and conducive to learning than the students in the seminar room. Both groups saw an improvement in their general communication skills, although the students in the experimental group showed a significant improvement in the ‘analysing’ skill level,” explains lead author Leonard Saitta. These initial findings show that the TTU training hospital creates an innovative environment that can also be usefully integrated into a pre-clinical degree programme. “Future studies should examine whether such training also has lasting effects on medical practice,” says Professor Susanne Kühl, who is also a member of the Academy for Excellence in University Teaching.
Publication details:
Saitta LK, Meral M, Böckers TM, Schneider A, Kühl SJ. Simulation of a medical consultation in a pre-clinical Biochemistry seminar: Does training in a high-fidelity simulation practice offer a benefit over that in a traditional seminar room? GMS J Med Educ 2026, Vol. 43(4) 10.3205/zma001845
Text and media contact: Daniela Stang