Communication training for advanced medical students improves information recall of medical laypersons in simulated informed consent talks--a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Informed consent talks are mandatory before invasive interventions. However, the patients' information recall has been shown to be rather poor. We investigated, whether medical laypersons recalled more information items from a simulated informed consent talk after advanced medical students participated in a communication training aiming to reduce a layperson's cognitive load.

Methods: Using a randomized, controlled, prospective cross-over-design, 30 5th and 6th year medical students were randomized into two groups. One group received communication training, followed by a comparison intervention (early intervention group, EI); the other group first received the comparison intervention and then communication training (late intervention group, LI). Before and after the interventions, the 30 medical students performed simulated informed consent talks with 30 blinded medical laypersons using a standardized set of information. We then recorded the number of information items the medical laypersons recalled.

Results: After the communication training both groups of medical laypersons recalled significantly more information items (EI: 41 ± 9% vs. 23 ± 9%, p < .0001, LI 49 ± 10% vs. 35 ± 6%, p < .0001). After the comparison intervention the improvement was modest and significant only in the LI (EI: 42 ± 9% vs. 40 ± 9%, p = .41, LI 35 ± 6% vs. 29 ± 9%, p = .016).

Conclusion: Short communication training for advanced medical students improves information recall of medical laypersons in simulated informed consent talks.

Figure 1

Study design. R: Randomization of 30 5th and 6th year medical students and 30 medical laypersons into early intervention group (EI) and late intervention group (LI). ICT: informed consent talk performed by an advanced medical student with a medical layperson. X: intervention (communication training for the medical students aiming to teach how to reduce the cognitive load). C: comparison intervention (lecture on ECG interpretation). Every medical student conducted three ICTs with three different medical laypersons.

Figure 2

Items recalled by the medical laypersons after a simulated informed consent talk with an advanced medical student before and after a communication training that taught the students to reduce the layperson’s cognitive load and a comparison intervention on ECG interpretation, respectively. a: EI: Early intervention group, the medical students received first the communication training, then the comparison intervention. b: LI: late intervention group: the medical students received first the comparison intervention, then the communication training.