Influence of teaching a structured and humanized method of care on the perception of medical student attitudes in the doctor-patient relationship

Abstract

Introduction The humanization of care can be defined, in a generic way, as the act of making an empathetic and respectful approach to patients. This study proposed to evaluate the perception of attitudes of medical students regarding the doctor-patient relationship, after implementation of teaching a humanized and structured care method. Materials and methods Single-blind, randomized controlled experimental study that evaluated medical students in relation to patient care, based on a pre-post design, using the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS). This scale has been validated to assess patient-centered attitudes, as the prime outcome measure. The intervention, with a group of randomized students, included teaching the structured and humanized method of patient care, denominated the SEAGULL (Subjective, Exams, Analysis, Goal, Ultimate Action), and was carried out at the university outpatient clinic. Results Fifty-nine medical students participated in the study, with a mean age of 21.3 years (SD = 2.8) and a higher prevalence of female students (71.2%). The increase in the final scores was greater in the intervention group (p = 0.025) when comparing means of the total PPOS scores. The intervention group presented a larger effect size and higher mean scores (d = 0.49, Δ = +0.38, p<0.001) than the control group (d = 0.21, Δ = + 0.10, p = 0.004). It is noteworthy that the analysis of the initial and final means of the PPOS scores of the sharing domain revealed larger effect sizes in the intervention group compared to the control group (Δ = +0.42, d = 0.63; p<0.001). Discussion and conclusion The findings showed that training in the use of the SEAGULL structured method led to a significant increase in PPOS scores related to the humanization of care by these students, with emphasis on the domain of sharing information, power, and responsibility with patients.