Simulated Patients as a Tool to facilitate student-patient interaction in an English-Taught Medical Curriculum in Italy.

Background In English-taught medical programs in Italy, students often face challenges interacting with Italianspeaking patients during clinical rotations. To address this gap, a pilot project was launched at the International Medical School of Sapienza University of Rome involving students conducting a medical interview with a simulated patient in italian, following an OSCE-based framework. Summary of Work The activity involved 3rd-year medical students in groups of four and a properly trained professional actor. Each student was asked to individually conduct a 10-minute interview in front of three students, two peer tutors, a PhD student, and a faculty professor. After each interview, feedback was provided by the audience and each student submitted as homework the written collected patient history in italian. Peer tutors provided final feedback online. The main objective was improving student communications skills in italian while secondary aims included using the SOCRATES method to characterize symptoms and identifying the pain originating organ. Summary of Results A total of 19 students participated and provided feedback through an online form: 79% of them had a basic level of Italian (A2-B1). Despite most of them (73,7%) considered the language an obstacle, all the students were able to conduct the interview, and the majority (79%) liked the activity. Among the main learning outcomes: 68.4% became aware of their italian language level and improvable aspects and 73.7% of students considered new aspects in the doctor-patient relationship. Regarding secondary objectives: 47.4% of students found applying the SOCRATES method difficult though 63.2% applied it the first time. Furthermore, 57.9% struggled to identify the pain's originating organ. While completing the clinical chart, 26.3% had difficulties in extracting the relevant information from the interview and 63.2% in using the appropriate medical terminology. Discussion and Conclusion This pilot project highlights the potential of simulated patients in improving language and communication in multilingual medical environments. While students overcame the language barrier through non-verbal communication and empathy, challenges included applying the SOCRATES method, understanding the pain’s origin, and using medical terminology. Thus, simulated environments in English-taught medical schools abroad could be an effective teaching tool to prepare students for multilingual healthcare settings. Take Home Message(s) Simulated patients improve communication in multilingual training.