Teaching interpersonal communication skills in paediatrics with the help of mothers.

Medical students were randomly assigned by two groups. The experimental or Family Health Project (FHP) group was given a short training course in conducting a first interview, which incorporated the content of the paediatric history as well as the process of the interview. Students in the FHP and control of Community Care (CC) groups conducted a videotaped interview with a mother of a child. The students viewed themselves on a replay and were given feedback information on their performance during the interview. An objective content checklist was used to assess the content of the interview. For the process of the interview all the videotapes were rated by the mothers, using the Flanders method of interaction analysis modified by Helfer. Significant differences were noted between the FHP and CC groups, which have implications for patient compliance and satisfaction. Medical students were enthusiastic about this form of learning.