[Simulated-patient-based educational programs for improvement of physicians' communication skills with adolescents: 7-years experience at the Israel Center For Medical Simulation].

Appropriate communication between healthcare providers and adolescent patients and their parents is the key for successful medical care that recognizes the unique needs of teenagers, who remain their parents' responsibility but deserve individual attention separately. Guidelines addressing adolescents' healthcare have been developed, and include recommendations for appropriate communication with adolescents. Simulated-patient-based education has become a significant tool for improving communication skills of heaLthcare providers. To describe the experience gained at the Israel Center for Medical Simulation (MSRJ during the past 7 years in communication training for physicians who encounter adolescents in their cLinical practice. Methods: Simulated-patient-based communication workshops were conducted dedicated to physicians who provide healthcare to adolescents. Eight to twelve physicians participated in each workshop, where 8 scenarios were exercised from a pooL of 20 typical scenarios of adolescent-physician encounters that have been prepared at MSR. The participants completed a feedback questionnaire at the end of each workshop regarding its quality, its contribution and its value as an educational tool. Five hundred physicians--pediatricians, family practitioners, gynecologists and military recruitment centers physicians--were trained in simulated-patient-based workshops on communication with adolescents between the years 2002 and 2008. Feedback questionnaires of 470 physicians completed at the end of 41 workshops were surveyed. High ranks were given to all the evaluation issues in the questionnaire. Training physicians in communication with adolescents at simulated-patient-based workshops is a powerful educational tool, enabling hands-on Learning and application of communication skills. These workshops are highly appreciated and recommended by the participating physicians as useful mechanisms in various medical education Levels.