Preparing medical students and doctors for the social interaction with web-informed patients (WIP)

The project activity is part of an extensive, university-wide program “Study Successfully in Tübingen” aiming for sustainable changes in the culture of learning and teaching at the University of Tübingen. This measure is integrated into the pillar “Learning to teach successfully – Promoting advanced teaching” and intends to reliably raise the level of quality of teaching through structurally imparting relevant competences of teaching for teachers throughout their university-life (from being a tutor to becoming a professor).

At present times, universities are confronted with the need to support the development of competences in students to a higher degree as well as the need to improve existing supervisory relationships and apprenticeships despite ever-expanding numbers of students. The conversion to a competence-oriented training (proportion of practical skills to be learned, focus on the individual) and the necessity of teaching and learning in real-life or simulated settings (contact with patients, clinical setting) in medicine are presenting specific challenges. Individual support can only be guaranteed through the assistance of student tutors. However, the success of working with student tutors is directly related to education, support and leadership. Due to this, the Medical Faculty of Tübingen relies on a specifically designed concept of qualification including didactical and professional elements of training. Evaluation results show a constantly high satisfaction with this concept. Accompanying scientific studies verify both a high effect of learning in courses accompanied by tutors and a high level of acceptance among students.

The primary aim of this project is to develop and establish measures (teaching and learning opportunities, measures of quality assurance) granting and remaining a high and modern level of quality within the qualification concept of student tutors in medicine in Tübingen in long term. Reliable quality standards for the training of tutors will be derived from results of quality management.

Selected Refernces:

Griewatz J, Lammerding-Köppel M. „Aber ich habe im Internet gefunden, …?!” – Herausforderungen des (vor-)informierten Patienten an die medizinische Ausbildung. Zeitschrift für medizinische Ethik. 2016;62(4):343-357. DOI: 10.14623/zfme.2016.4.343-357.

Griewatz J, Lammerding-Koeppel M, Bientzle M, Cress U, Kimmerle J. Using simulated forums for training of online patient-counselling. Medical Education. 2016;50(5):576-7. DOI: 10.1111/medu.13040.

Bientzle M, Griewatz J, Kimmerle, J, Küppers J, Cress U, Lammerding-Koeppel M. Impact of scientific versus emotional wording of patient questions on doctor-patient communication in an Internet forum: A randomized controlled experiment with medical students. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2015;17(11):e268. DOI: 10.2196/jmir.4597.