[Perception of training in doctor-patient communication for students at faculty of medicine]. / La perception de l'apprentissage à la communication médecin-patient de l'étudiant en Faculté de Médecine.

Doctor-patient communication is the heart of any medical practice. The technology of medicine today is focused on knowledge, its application and know-how, rather than skills of being, of knowing and of knowing when to do nothing. In 2005, Belgian High Council of Health emphasizes a quantitative and qualitative reduction of communication aspects within the initial medical training. The aim of our study is to investigate Belgian and foreign students perception of how the doctor-patient communication was taught during their studies. A questionnaire was sent by email to 300 Belgian and foreign Universities. We obtained 13.6% of answers of 99 students belonging to 41 Faculties from 22 countries. 55.6% of respondents thought to be well trained in the doctor-patient communication. 85.9% of students received theoretical courses out of which only 64.6% have the opportunity to enhance their apprenticeship by practical work. Majority of respondents required more practical work in learning to communicate. All of them agree on that they would like more applied practical communication incorporated into their curriculum. Like wise the society that calls for doctors with increased communication skills and communication researchers who emphasize the central role of the doctor-patient communication in the clinical and therapeutic approach, students are also seeking longitudinal transdisciplinary learning, including more practical practices.

[When the pupil becomes the teacher]. / Quand l'enseigné devient enseignant.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the theoretical teaching provided to ophthalmology residents in Toulouse during the 2006-2007 academic year using the PowerVote(®) system. PUPILS AND METHOD: This was a prospective study concerning all ophthalmology residents in Toulouse. Classes were given by the house doctors and senior registrars as PowerPoint presentations lasting about 45 min. Just before each lecture, the house doctors took a 5 min test comprising five multiple choice questions. There were two lectures per month on average. One month after the course of lectures ended, the course as a whole was evaluated using the PowerVote(®) tool, on objectives given to the house doctors in advance. The teaching concerned the macula. RESULTS: Ten residents took part in the final evaluation in 2007. The residents who had given lectures obtained significantly better results, not only in the initial test but also in the final one. DISCUSSION: Teaching can take many forms. We evaluated teaching by the students themselves. The more involved a house doctor was in teaching, the better he remembered the lesson. CONCLUSION: Giving a theoretical lecture enables residents to reach a higher level, which is further improved if they are involved in the teaching. The use of PowerVote(®) is an interesting pedagogical tool.

[PowerVote: an evaluation tool]. / Utilisation de PowerVote pour une évaluation.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to report the experience using PowerVote software to evaluate the teaching provided to Toulouse ophthalmology residents. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This prospective study covers all ophthalmology residents in Toulouse during the 2006-2007 academic year. Courses were alternately given by residents and resident physicians, during a 45-minute PowerPoint presentation. At the beginning of the course, the residents answered five multiple-choice questions. A month after the end of the 12-course program, participants were tested, using PowerVote, on the content of the entire course, focusing on objectives that the residents had received at the start. RESULTS: The level of theoretical knowledge increased significantly, from 4.0/10 to 6.8/10. (P=0.0027). CONCLUSION: Tests using PowerVote allowed instantaneous correction of the answers to the test questions. Consequently, the teaching was easier to adapt to the students' knowledge. Descriptive statistics of the results obtained could be generated via the PowerVote software and displayed on an Excel spreadsheet. The use of PowerVote also allowed direct evaluation of student knowledge and adjustments in the teaching for the following courses. This interactive pedagogical tool has potential for development, particularly to evaluate practices in the context of on-going medical education.