The effect of undergraduate education in communication skills: a randomised controlled clinical trial.

PURPOSE: To determine whether students improve their communication skills as a result of supervised patient care and whether a newly implemented communication course could further improve these skills. METHOD: We conducted a randomised, controlled trial including all participants of the first clinical treatment course (n = 26) between October 2006 and February 2007. Randomisation was balanced by gender and basic communication skills. The test group practised dentist-patient communication skills in small groups with role-plays and videotaped real patient interviews, whereas the control group learned in problem-based workshops both on a weekly basis. Before and after the interventions (two group pre- and post-design) all students conducted two interviews with simulated patients. The encounters were rated using a 10-item checklist derived from the Calgary-Cambridge Observation Guide I. RESULTS: Repeated measures ANOVA (alpha = 0.05) showed a significant difference of the sum scores of the ratings between test and control group (P = 0.004). The participants educated in communication skills improved significantly (Delta = +14.9; P = 0.004), whereas in the control group no accretion of practical communication competence was observed (Delta = -3.9; P = 0.23). CONCLUSION: It could be demonstrated that solely interacting with patients during a clinical treatment course did not inevitably improve professional communication skills. In contrast, implementation of a course in communication skills improved the practical competence in dentist-patient interaction.

Proinflammatory effects of Staphylococcus aureus exotoxin B on nasal epithelial cells.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Staphylococcus aureus exotoxin B (SE-B) on proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine releases in primary nasal epithelial cell cultures (NECC) of subjects with and without chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: NECC (CRS: n = 14; CONTROLS: n = 11) were stimulated with SE-B. Protein concentrations of interleukin-(IL)-1beta, IL-6, and IL-8 levels were measured in NECC supernatants by ELISA before (T0) and after 24 hr stimulation with SE-B (T1). RESULTS: T0: supernatants of the NECC of CRS patients contained significant lower levels of IL-8 (2.1 ng/ml) compared to CONTROLS (IL-8: 6.2 ng/ml; P < 0.01). T1: SE-B induced a significant increase of IL-6 in NECC (P < 0.001). IL-1beta was not detectable. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study evaluating the effects of exotoxins on NECC. SE-B showed proinflammatory effects on NECC. SIGNIFICANCE: Our data suggest that resident NECC are involved in immunological responses to Staphylococcus aureus toxins, supplementing the so-called "superantigen hypothesis" in CRS.