Improvements in self-efficacy for engaging in patient-centered communication following a course in peer-supervision and communication for medical students: – the role of motivational factors

ID: 170 Individual Paper Berit Lassesen1, Maja O’Connor2, Louise Binnow Kjær3, Anne-Mette Mørcke3, Robert Zachariae2, 1Aarhus Universitet, School of Business and Social Science, Denmark; 2Unit for Psychooncology and Health Psychology, Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital and Department of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; 3Center for Medical Education, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.; [email protected] Aim: The aim was to evaluate the outcome of a training course in peer-supervision and communication with the aim of improving medical student self-efficacy for engaging in patient-centered communication and examine the influence of course-related motivation to learn, course-related self-efficacy, and medical student well-being at baseline. Methods: A total of 127 graduate school medical students in clinical clerkship who participated in a course in peer-supervision and communication completed a pre-course questionnaire package including: 1) The Patient-Centeredness Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PCSEQ), 2) Course-Related Motivation to Learn (CRML), 3) Course-Related Self-Efficacy (CRSE), and 4) the Medical Student Well-Being Index (MSWBI). After the course, PCSEQ was administered a second time. Results: At baseline, PCSEQ-scores were positively correlated with age (r = 0.12), CRML (0.49), CRSE (0.58) and inversely correlated with medical student distress (MSWBI) (-0.22) (p<0.05-0.01). PCSEQ scores increased from pre-to-post (Cohen’s d= 0.73; p < 0.001). When adjusting for pre-course PCSEQ scores in a multiple linear regressions, CRML was a statistically significant independent predictor of post-course PCSEQ scores (Beta: 0.25; p<0.005). CRSE (Beta: 0.18, p=0.06) and MSWBI (Beta: -0.01, p=0.90) did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: The students’ motivation to learn the skills taught in the course emerged as a significant independent predictor of the desired learning outcome, supporting self-regulated learning theory stating that motivational factors are important predictors of learning outcome, suggesting the importance of assessing and promoting student motivation to learn both in higher education in general and in medical education in specific.