神戸薬科大学における模擬患者の養成と実習への導入

抄録

Communication skills are an essential requirement for pharmacists if they are to function competently as medical professionals. Training using simulated patients has recently been introduced in medical education and we considered that the use of simulated patients would help pharmacy students to acquire the communication skills necessary for patient consultations. To do this, we instructed volunteer patients on how to act as simulated patients and started using them as part of the training in consultations for third-year students at Kobe Pharmaceutical University. The results of a survey conducted at the end of the training indicated that students recognized the high educational value of the simulated patients due to the sense of realism they brought into the training and the tension they experienced in interacting with them, saying that this increased their interest in the work of the pharmacist and stimulated their desire to learn. The use of simulated patients was effective in enhancing the communication skills because they had to focus on their attitudes and responses.