Context

Suitable communication is a clinical skill and therefore should be part of the curriculum in medical schools. Several techniques can be used to teach communication skills to medical students.

Objective

To report an experience based on the role-play technique in the learning process and the satisfaction of medical students in the application of the medical interview.

Methods

A cross-sectional study with students of the discipline of semiology in three distinct stages related to theory comprehension, practical application with role-play simulation among students and taped interviews with patients in the hospital. Student performance evaluation during simulation and video recording was based on an instrument adapted from the Calgary-Cambridge Guide. A student satisfaction survey was also conducted at the end of the semester.

Results

Thirty students were evaluated, 43% were not able to adequately detail the symptoms during the simulation but did not present the same difficulty in the taped video. When comparing the simulation and the taped videos exercise 5 students (16.6%) showed the same performance, 1 student (3.3%) displayed a worse performance with the patient interview and 25 students (83%) improved their performance with patients. The vast majority (92.5%) of the students considered the activity useful in their medical training. Conclusion: The use of the role-play technique in the teaching process of anamnesis and in the development of communication skills was demonstrated as a useful learning method and was well accepted by the medical students that participated in this study.

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