Greetings, self-introduction and small talk (20minutes)
Students take the history of a simulated patient (Dr. Veronica Milos Nymberg) in English. They have to help each other to take the history. (20minutes)
Reflection and feedback (20minutes)
Consultation procedure:
Introduce yourself and find out the patient´s name and age.
Start with an open question such as “What seems to be the problem?” or “What brought you here today?”
Encourage your patient to tell you about his/her problem by saying, “Tell me more about your problem/pain.” and give the patient confirmation that you are listening to him/her by saying, “Oh, I see.”, “I understand.”, or “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Let the patient tell all he/she wants – do not interrupt!
Ask specific questions if your patient has not told you details about his/her problem/pain, such as “How long….?”, “Are you taking any medication?”, “Do you smoke?” etc.
Make sure that you know what your patient thinks about his/her condition (Could this be an ulcer in my stomach?), what your patient worries about (Will this be cancer? Am I going to die?) and what your patient expects from you (I only want to know what it is. / I need a cure to take my symptoms away. I think I need an X-ray). At the end of the consultation, you should address the answers to these questions to make your patient feel safe – but that does not mean that patients should have X-rays whenever they wish!
Summarize what your patient has told you so the patient can feel that you have understood him/her correctly and can add information if needed. You may also have additional questions.