Table 8

Guidelines for effective use of role-play to develop patient-centred interviewing skills

• State clear aims and objectives about task and roles
• Create roles that reflect real experiences and appropriate levels of challenges
• Relate the role-play to the broader contexts in which students are learning
• Acknowledge potential difficulties in role-play
• Emphasise the importance of social interactions for learning
• Provide sufficient time for preparation for roles
• Highlight benefits from playing all roles
• Use structured feedback guidelines – explore interviewers' feelings, identify effective skills and those that require development, seek feedback from interviewer and "patient", achieve a balance in what ahs worked and what needs development
• Respond to student preferences for working with friends
• Write reflections on the experience
• Ensure tutors are enthusiastic
• Provide opportunities for debriefing
• Summarise experiences
• Use audiovisual recording devices for playback

Nestel and Tierney BMC Medical Education 2007 7:3   doi:10.1186/1472-6920-7-3