Einsatz von "Standardisierten Eltern" [Communication with standardised parents in paediatrics]

[english] Introduction: “Standardised patients” are finding increased application within medical training and have become an indispensable component of communication training for medical students. In the Anglo-American world, “standardised patients” are also employed in the postgraduate curriculum for resident physicians. In the German-speaking realm, however, there are currently no publications indicating the use of “standardised parents” in the specialist field of paediatrics. The basic recurring question concerning the extent to which training with “standardised parents” can be considered adequately realistic - a question which has already been raised in connection with the use of “standardised patients” - is of particular relevance in the case of highly experienced clinical staff. The degree to which feedback from “standardised parents” proves helpful in everyday clinical life also remains to be ascertained. Methods: In the current project, a communication training course involving “standardised patients”, who simulated the parents and caregivers of ill children, was carried out with residents of Heidelberg University Clinic for Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 28 Accident and Emergency were trained in dealing with problems and difficult situations arising in communication with parents. Following the physician-parent dialogue, the respective physician received feedback from the actors, fellow medical peers and supervisors. The authenticity of the cases and their relevance in the context of a realistic training course for communication skills was assessed by means of a questionnaire for participants. Additionally, participants evaluated the quality of the feedback received following the physician-parent dialogue. Results: Physicians considered the training cases to be extremely authentic and of relevance regarding both the improvement of communication skills and confidence in dealing with the parents of ill children. Feedback from actors (Likert scale: M = 1.08; SD = 0.28), from supervisors (M = 1.25; SD = 0.68) and medical peers (M =1.29; SD = 0.55) received very high ratings. Discussion: In the project presented here, the application of “standardised parents” represents a valuable tool which can be considered a suitable and obligatory component within a structured communication training course for paediatric residents. Furthermore, the employment of “standardised parents” could prove of interest in the context of graduate medical education. [german