Evaluation of the effect of a communication skills course on medical students' attitude towards patient-centered care: a prospective study.

Background: This study aims to examine whether a communication skills course (Early Clinical Exposure-ECE) might support shaping medical students' attitudes towards patient-centered care at Taibah University, Saudi Arabia. Attitudes were measured before and after the course using the Patient Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS), which assesses students' orientation towards patient-centeredness.

Methods: This prospective observational study collected data at two points: the start of year two and the start of year four from the same cohort. The PPOS, divided into the sharing subscale (physician shares information, power, and control with the patient) and the caring subscale (physician considers the patient's emotions, preferences, and expectations), was used to evaluate students' attitudes. Mean scores were calculated, and independent sample t-tests were employed to assess statistical significance.

Results: Of the students targeted, 153 participated at year two (response rate = 93.5%) and 143 at year four (response rate = 89.5%). Significant progress was observed in the sharing subscale, with scores increasing from 3.23 ± 0.53 to 3.40 ± 0.60 (p = 0.015). However, the caring subscale exhibited a significant decline, with scores dropping from 4.06 ± 0.53 to 3.76 ± 0.68 (p < 0.001). As a result, there was no significant overall change in the total PPOS score (p = 0.282). Female students showed more progress in the sharing subscale than males.

Conclusions: The communication skills course might have had a positive impact on students' attitudes towards sharing information in decision-making with patients, but notably, the medical students' caring attitudes declined. This indicates a need for further emphasis on patient-centered communication, especially on the caring aspects, in the medical curriculum.