Supervisors’ and residents’ patient-education competency in challenging outpatient consultations

• Supervisors and residents demonstrated equal patient-education competency.
• Supervisors demonstrated better influencing skills then residents.
• Residents demonstrated better listening skills then supervisors.
• Supervisors conducted their consultations less time-efficient than residents.
• Supervisors' credibility as teachers of patient-education competency is dubious.

ObjectivesWe compared supervisors’ and residents’ patient-education competency in challenging consultations in order to establish whether supervisors demonstrate sufficient patient-education competency to act credibly as role models and coaches for residents.MethodsAll consultations conducted at one, two, or three of the outpatient clinics of each of the participating physicians were videoed. Each participant selected two challenging consultations from each clinic for assessment. We assessed their patient-education competency using the CELI instrument, we calculated net consultation length for all videoed consultations and we measured patient opinion about the patient education received using a questionnaire.ResultsForty-four residents and fourteen supervisors participated in the study. They selected 230 consultations for assessment. On average, supervisors and residents demonstrated similar patient-education competency. Net consultation length was longer for supervisors. Patient opinion did not differ between supervisors and residents.ConclusionsSupervising consultants generally do not possess sufficient patient-education competency to fulfill their teaching roles in workplace-based learning that is aimed at improving residents’ patient-education competency.Practice implicationsNot only residents but also supervising consultants should improve their patient-education competency. Workplace-based learning consisting of self-assessment of and feedback on videoed consultations could be useful in attaining this goal.