Introduction to the Pecs Model Innovation in teaching Medical History Taking

Among clinical skills, doctor-patient communication is considered a high priority in establishing the proper diagnosis. Therefore, our team at the Department of Languages for Specific Purposes at the University of Pecs, Medical School ( UPMS) has designed an educational model to improve these fundamental skills. Our primary objective is to share these innovative practices with others. Peer-tutoring history taking courses are offered to international students assisted by Hungarian senior students, as well as digitally available educational materials. The latter is based on authentic doctor-patient conversations (video-recordings in Hungarian) while acquiring the patient's history. Following video recording, EU standardized texts from A1 to B2 levels are implemented including task-based case studies and check-lists to ensure the use of authentic communication. The scene for pilot experimentation is a university course with blended-learning methods; the video-recorded conversations are used in class, followed by hospital-based practice to promote motivation and increase cultural awareness. Aligned with the current general orientation of modern linguistics, we believe context-based language courses may better prepare physicians for interviewing their patients in the 21st century.