Скачать или смотреть The Simulated Patient: BBC Radio 4 Documentary about actors who train doctors.

Actors train medical students how to be empathetic and how to break bad news to patients. But can empathy be learned?

These days the NHS is getting more efficient with polyclinics, rotating hospital doctors, quicker throughput by G.P’S. Like all NHS processes, bedside manner, too, has become systematized. If a patient is seeing a whole string of different doctors suddenly patient communication can’t be haphazard any more.

So all medical students are now taught bedside manner by simulated patients, role-playing actors. Surely it is much better for doctors to make mistakes on actors rather than us? But the fear from older doctors is that humanity itself is being systematized. Insincerity might creep in.

And what is it like for the actors if they really do fall ill. How will their experiences as a simulated patient alter their approach to the doctor? In the future will we all need training in how to be a patient?

Professor Gus McGrouther, University of Manchester
Nurse Jan Clyde (rtd)
Professor Jane Dacre, UCL London
Actor Phil Harrison (Simulated Patient)
Medical student in actuality Kyle (Surname unknown)
Actress ‘Mary’ in role play Pene Herman-Smith
Trainer Dr Phil Cotton, Glasgow University.
Various students from Glasgow medical school – (actuality)

Actor Richard Tate.

Researcher Caroline Barbour
Presenter Frances Byrnes.
Producer Matt Thompson