RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 P188 ‘find your mate’! an interactive game to support the teaching of sexual history taking to medical students
JF Sexually Transmitted Infections
JO Sex Transm Infect
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP A78
OP A79
DO 10.1136/sextrans-2015-052126.232
VO 91
IS Suppl 1
A1 Kate Horn
A1 Jo Fitzgerald
A1 Ben Tometzki
YR 2015
UL http://sti.bmj.com/content/91/Suppl_1/A78.2.abstract
AB Background/introduction Standard methods of teaching sexual history taking are heavily reliant on role-play which many students find threatening. We took a fresh look at this with particular reference to the learning environment and learner diversity. Aim(s)/objectives To develop a new resource as an alternative to role-play which allows students to practice the key components of sexual history taking in a fun and memorable way. Methods The concept of ‘find your mate’ grew through brainstorming sessions with a medical student and an F2 trainee. The idea of a ‘party atmosphere’ with background music allows those with ‘musical intelligence’ to create a link whilst also masking individual conversations and reducing embarrassment. Provision of party snacks and soft drinks addresses players’ basic physiological needs. Results An interactive game was developed with flexibility to accommodate any number of participants from 6–30. Feedback was universally positive with players reporting marked improvement in confidence scores in sexual history taking. Discussion/conclusion Students often find terminology used in sexual history taking unfamiliar or uncomfortable. They come from a variety of social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and may carry judgmental attitudes. Some may have had negative sexual experiences. Providing a psychologically and physically safe environment for them to develop this important skill is of paramount importance. I am confident that giving students a framework of standard questions and phrases and then allowing them the combined privacy and space to practice the use of such in a safe learning environment will improve their confidence in sexual history taking.