Presented By: Jutta Sylvester, St. George's University

Purpose 
In contemporary healthcare, the recognition of addressing emotional components in patient care and enhancing doctor-patient relationships has become increasingly acknowledged. The 2023 AAMC Annual Meeting echoed this sentiment by highlighting from patient feedback the importance of acknowledging patients first. Thus, high-quality patient care is reliant upon healthcare providers having the knowledge and training in effective communication skills and emotional management. 

Methods 
A selective course was developed at St. George's University, School of Medicine (SGUSOM) which was tailored to Basic Sciences medical students. The pilot selective was limited to fifteen students who registered based on interest. The course aimed to expose medical students to emotionally demanding patient encounters while considering the cultural, social, and ethical aspects of their patients. Moreover, it emphasized collaborating with interdisciplinary teams and prioritizing self-care to navigate challenging conversations and emotions, and providing constructive ways in which students could best manage these inevitable future encounters. The weekly sessions were fifty minutes long and delivered synchronously and asynchronously, for ten weeks. The interactive and experiential learning consisted of lectures, group discussions, role-playing scenarios, reflective and meditative exercises. It encouraged students to explore their emotional responses, biases, and to find coping strategies when dealing with emotionally demanding patient interactions. A survey was administered to gain students' feedback and reflective experiences of their learning throughout the course. 

Results 
Results from the feedback were positive, with constructive suggestions for program improvement. Role-playing exercises were highlighted as valuable, alongside the benefit of learning from experienced healthcare professionals and their stories of emotionally difficult patient encounters. 

Conclusion 
Introducing emotional components in patient encounters early within the medical school curriculum provides more time for students to harness essential skills, thus potentially improving the quality of future patient care.