Análisis cuantitativo de las competencias de comunicación y seguridad del paciente incluidas en un programa de simulación clínica del grado de Medicina

Introduction

Patient safety (PS) and communication are transversal competencies to be acquired by medical students. International guidelines and consensus define communication and PS competences. The aim of this study was to detect the communication and PS skills taught in the clinical simulation sessions of the different subjects in the Medicine degree at the University of Vic – University of Central Catalonia (UVic-UCC), Spain.

Methodology

The guides of the clinical simulation sessions of the 6 courses of the degree of the academic year 2023–2024 were reviewed. The present components of PS and communication dictated in the WHO Curriculum Guide for Medical Schools and in the Latin American, Portuguese and Spanish consensus on a core communication curriculum for undergraduate medical education were identified en the simulation guides. Their review was carried out independently by two reviewers. Descriptive statistics were performed.

Results

The guides of 79 simulation sessions were analyzed. Communication competencies are frequently taught focused in patients and families. Patient safety competencies are scarce, the most frequent being medication related. Competencies are distributed throughout the degree years but are concentrated in the last three clinical years.

Conclusions

Communication competencies are acceptably present in the simulation program, but not the PS which need to be improved. This study analyses only the clinical simulation program and does not represent the full exposure of students to these transversal competences through other teaching methodologies.