Use of authentic doctor-patient communication in communication training for medical students in the specialized teaching of German as a foreign language,Nutzung authentischer Arzt-Patienten-Kommunikation im Kommunikationstraining für Medizinstudierende im fachbezogenen DaF-Unterricht

Currently, discussions in the medical profession often center on the need for patients to be considered not just as ‘cases’ but as actual persons. In fact, this approach requires a strong focus on communication, basically in doctor-patient talks, and on improving doctors’ general communication skills. Drawing upon results of applied Conversational Analysis and Interactional Linguistics, this article focuses on the analysis of doctor-patient interactions and the potential of using authentic material in the training of medical students. First, we take a look at training materials for doctors and medical students regarding communicative competence that is based on authentic medical talk data. Then, we consider transcripts of authentic doctor-patient interactions which successfully complement the teaching of medical German as a foreign language for specific purposes at the I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University. Finally, a scenario of using transcripts in medical education is presented for illustration of the applied approach.