Your life on film: teaching continuity to residents through powerpoint and videotaped interviews.

Residents often lack the context they need to care for challenging patients. We developed a curriculum using videotapes of patient visits to teach (1). knowing the patient's context, (2). time: the key to trust, (3). reciprocity in the patient-doctor relationship, and (4). overcoming resistance to care. This teaching was most effective when the patient was interviewed by his/her own resident physician, when a particular patient was shown over time, and when contrasting different methods of dealing with behaviors common to two patients was demonstrated. Residents rated conferences in the "excellent" range and demonstrated a deeper appreciation of the elements of continuity.