AIM: To evaluate the practical teaching effect of the doctor-patient communication ability training combined with Simulation-based Medical Education(SBME)pedagogy in the standardized training for ophthalmology residents through Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise(Mini-CEX).

METHODS: From September 2015 to July 2017, sixteen residents from the Department of Ophthalmology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University were selected as research subjects. Before and after the conventional teaching or SBME teaching with standardized patients(SP), real doctor-patient communications were completed respectively, which were evaluated through Mini-CEX.

RESULTS: As to the Mini-CEX assessment of the standard training residents for the pre-intervention doctor-patient communication about the three common diseases of age-related cataract, primary open-angle glaucoma, and acute bacterial conjunctivitis, there was no significant difference in the average score of the seven items between the trainees in the control group and the experimental group(P>0.05). After the demonstration teaching and comment revision, the control group directly performed the post-intervention doctor-patient communication and Mini-CEX evaluation, and the experimental group performed the further SBME teaching and then the post-intervention doctor-patient communication and Mini-CEX evaluation. The scores of the seven items in the two groups after the intervention were significantly higher than those before the intervention(P<0.05). The excellent rates of the trainees in the control group and the experimental group with an average score of 7 or more increased from 37.5%(3/8)and 37.5%(3/8)to 87.5%(7/8)and 100%(8/8), respectively. After the intervention, in addition to physical examination skills and clinical judgment, the scores of other five items such as medical interview skills, humanistic care and professionalism, psychological counseling skills, organizational effectiveness and overall clinical competence, were significantly higher in the experimental group than the ones in the control group(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: SBME pedagogy with SP can improve the effectiveness of the doctor-patient communication training for ophthalmology residents. Mini-CEX can be used to evaluate the teaching efficiency easily, quickly and standardly. The combination of Mini-CEX and SBME can be widely used in the practice of the doctor-patient communication training for ophthalmology residents.