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Syllabi: Patient-Doctor I
INSTITUTION: University of California, Irvine
COURSE DIRECTOR:
Elizabeth Morrison, M.D., M.D.E,
Department of Family Medicine,
University of California, Irvine College of Medicine
COURSE INSTRUCTOR:
Johanna Shapiro, Ph.D. Medical Humanities Content Area Expert
University of California, Irvine College of Medicine
email: jfshapiro@msx.ndc.mc.uci.edu
ENROLLMENT: 1st year Medical students; required
SEMESTER: Fall 1999 - Spring 2000
ELECTIVE LINK: A medical humanities first year elective, Medical Humanities I, is thematically linked to the PDI course.
DESCRIPTION:
Patient-Doctor I is a required 60 hour course taught in the first year of medical school. Its emphasis is on training in doctor-patient communication skills as well as providing an introduction to particularly problematic aspects of doctor-patient communication, such as taking a sexual history, pain assessment, cross-cultural and cross-language interviewing, geriatric encounters, and promoting positive health and lifestyle change. During each course module, students meet with faculty in small groups to discuss relevant issues. As part of this activity, a literary selection is included that must be read by both students and faculty and then incorporated into the discussion.
OBJECTIVES:
By the end of the course, students will have developed the following skills:
- Improved ability to recognize the importance of listening to and attentiveness toward patients
- Improved ability to identify difficulties inherent in addressing sensitive and subjective issues in medical interviewing
- Increased empathy for the patient experience in medical interviewing
FORMAT:
Monthly small group discussion in which a literary selection is used to represent one form of knowledge about patient and physician experience. In addition to reading and discussion, students are asked to keep a journal of their experiences during the year.
REQUIRED READING (all excerpts):
Module 1: Learning to Listen (Doctor-Patient Communication)
"When You Come Into My Room" Stephen Schmidt
Module 2: Pain
"Pain" Emily Dickinson; "Bad Days Are No Fun At All" Linda Martinson
Module 3: Sexuality
"Invasions" Perri Klass
Module 4: Cross-Cultural Medicine
"The Appointment" Lawrence Schneiderman
Module 5: Geriatrics
"Aging Gratefully" John Graham-Pole; "First Visit" Maurice Schwartz
Module 6: Health Promotion
"The Promise" Veneta Masson
EVALUATION:
The course employs a standard end-of-year evaluation questionnaire. Specific questions are included that address the utility and value of the literary readings and the journaling for enhancing communication skills and improving empathy for the patientÍs experience in the interview process. The elective is evaluated using a separate questionnaire designed to explore these issues in depth.