Optimizing simulated interviews and feedback to maximize medical students’ self-efficacy in real time

Background Self-efficacy is crucial in improving medical students’ communication skills. This study aims to clarify where medical students’ self-efficacy is greatest following an interview with a simulated patient and subsequent feedback. Methods A total of 162 medical students (109 men, 53 women) in their fourth or fifth year at a university in Japan participated in this study. The degree of self-efficacy in medical interviewing was measured before and after a medical interview with a simulated patient, and after the subsequent feedback session. Results ANOVA analysis revealed that self-efficacy for medical interviews was higher after both the interview and the feedback session than before the interview. Among all three time points, self-efficacy was highest after the feedback session. Conclusions Feedback following a simulated interview with a simulated patient is important to improve the self-efficacy of medical students when learning medical interviewing skills.