Medical Information Only. Always consult your healthcare provider before enrolling in any clinical trial.
Enhancing Empathy in Medical Communication Through Perspective-Taking
NCT00861991 · View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Study Summary
Background: Empathy is critical to clinician-patient communication and patient outcomes. Perspective-taking, an intervention demonstrated in other contexts to induce empathy, has never been studied in a medical context. As a first step in evaluating its potential clinical value, the studies described below assess perspective taking in a series of clinical skills examinations. These examinations are simulated clinical encounters: students encounter and are evaluated by standardized patients (SPs)--actors trained to take on patient roles. Though not real clinical encounters, clinical skills examinations have been demonstrated to test clinical competency well enough to be incorporated into the licensure examination of the National Board of Medical Examiners. Objective: To assess if perspective-taking improves the satisfaction of standardized patients in three clinical skills examinations. Hypothesis: Students receiving a perspective taking intervention will receive better standardized patient satisfaction scores than control students. Design and Setting: Three randomized, controlled studies. Studies 1 and 3: Junior medical students(N = 503), 6-station clinical skills examination. Study 2: physician assistant students (N = 105), 3-station clinical skills examination. Intervention: The intervention students received a perspective-taking instruction prior to their examination asking them to put themselves in their "patients" shoes and to imagine what they were thinking and feeling. The control students received standard pre-examination instructions. Simulated patients were blind to study condition. Main Outcome Measure: Simulated patient satisfaction scores.
Conditions Studied
Interventions
- BEHAVIORAL Perspective taking instruction
Study Locations (1)
District of Columbia
- George Washington University School of Medicine — Washington D.C.
Trial Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Enrollment Target | 608 participants |
| Start Date | 2006-06 |
| Est. Completion | 2007-08 |
| Phase | NA |
Interested in This Trial?
Always speak with your doctor before enrolling in a clinical trial.
Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗What the Registry Record Tells You About NCT00861991
The ClinicalTrials.gov registry entry for NCT00861991 describes a study currently listed as completed. It is categorized as NA, which is the standard way researchers label where a study sits along the investigational pathway from early safety work through later efficacy and post-marketing evaluation. The registered enrollment target is 608 participants, a figure that helps gauge the scale of data the investigators plan to collect. The listed sponsor is George Washington University, which has 134 total studies on file at ClinicalTrials.gov, and sponsors are the parties responsible for study design, oversight, and regulatory filings.
The record links to 1 condition, with Patient Satisfaction appearing as the primary indexed condition, and to 1 intervention — of which Perspective taking instruction is the first listed. Interventions can include drugs, devices, procedures, behavioral programs, or observational arms, and each is tracked as a separate registry field so that downstream queries can filter accurately. When a trial lists multiple interventions, it usually reflects a multi-arm design or a comparison protocol rather than a single treatment being tested in isolation. The brief summary published in the registry is the clearest source of protocol intent and should be read before drawing conclusions from any sidebar tags.
Geographic footprint matters for practical reasons: NCT00861991 reports 1 study location spanning 1 distinct geographic area — top geographies include District of Columbia. A larger site network tends to correlate with broader recruitment capacity, but it does not imply anything about study quality, and site-level enrollment status can diverge from the overall registry status shown above. Every data point on this page comes from the public ClinicalTrials.gov dataset and is reproduced here for reference only; it is not a medical recommendation, an endorsement of the sponsor, or an invitation to enroll. Verify current status, eligibility criteria, and contact details directly at ClinicalTrials.gov, and discuss any participation decision with your own healthcare provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is clinical trial NCT00861991 about?
NCT00861991 is a clinical study titled "Enhancing Empathy in Medical Communication Through Perspective-Taking". Background: Empathy is critical to clinician-patient communication and patient outcomes. Perspective-taking, an intervention demonstrated in other contexts to induce empathy, has never been studied in a medical context. As a first step in evaluating its potential clinical value, the studies describe...
What is the current status of trial NCT00861991?
This trial is currently completed. It is a NA study. The enrollment target is 608 participants. The study started on 2006-06. Estimated completion is 2007-08.
What conditions does trial NCT00861991 study?
This clinical trial studies the following conditions: Patient Satisfaction. These conditions were identified from the trial registry and reflect the primary focus areas of the research.
What interventions are being tested in trial NCT00861991?
The interventions under investigation include: Perspective taking instruction (BEHAVIORAL). Each intervention is being evaluated for safety and efficacy as part of this clinical study.
Who is sponsoring clinical trial NCT00861991?
This trial is sponsored by George Washington University, which has 134 total clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. The sponsor is responsible for the study's design, funding, and regulatory compliance.
Where is trial NCT00861991 being conducted?
This trial has 1 study location across District of Columbia. Contact the study sites directly through ClinicalTrials.gov for enrollment availability.
Learn More About Clinical Trials
How Clinical Trials Work
Understand phases 1-4, trial design, randomization, and the informed consent process.
Patient Rights in Clinical Trials
Your rights as a participant: consent, withdrawal, privacy, and who to contact.
Finding the Right Clinical Trial
A practical guide to searching trials, understanding eligibility, and evaluating options.
All Guides
Browse our complete library of clinical trial educational resources.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.