In the areas of home medical care and self-medication, the role of the pharmacist is growing, partly as a result of Japan’s aging society and the need to reduce medical costs. In response, the Kinki University Faculty of Pharmacy implemented a physical assessment practical training seminar in order to improve the physical assessment skills of practicing pharmacists. A series of questionnaires were conducted among pharmacists to investigate their perceptions of physical assessment practical training seminars. The results of the questionnaires were analyzed using Customer Satisfaction (CS) analysis and text mining. Based on a 5-point scale (1-low∼5-high), questionnaires revealed satisfaction for physical assessment practical training seminars was 4.6±0.6 (Ave.±S.D.). CS analysis revealed that the items “lectures” and “case seminars” had the highest level of satisfaction. However, items showing low levels of satisfaction were “auscultation of respiratory sounds” and “SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation).” Results of text mining suggested a relationship between “physical assessment” and “difficult”. Analysis of the questionnaires showed a high level satisfaction with physical assessment practical training seminars, notably physical assessment practice methods. However, CS analysis and text mining indicate the finer techniques of physical assessment were difficult to acquire.

PURPOSE: To determine whether faculty humanistic quality ratings for medical students in an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) are associated with student OSCE scores and actual patient satisfaction in a university hospital outpatient (general internal medicine) clinic.
METHODS: Our study was conducted on final-year (sixth grade) medical students in 1998. Forty medical students took the OSCE and were evaluated by faculty internists for humanistic qualities during OSCE sessions. Patient satisfaction ratings for students were also obtained in an outpatient clinic by using six items from the American Board of Internal Medicine Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ) . A total of 40 students were evaluated by 117 patients. A multiple regression analysis was used for this study.
RESULTS: In the OSCE, faculty humanistic quality ratings for students were associated with interview skills (p=0.004), but not with physical examination scores nor students' gender. However, patient satisfaction ratings were not statistically associated with faculty humanistic quality ratings for students, other OSCE scores nor with patients' demographic characteristics such as age, sex, occupation and education levels.
CONCLUSIONS: Faculty humanistic quality ratings for medical students taking the OSCE were not significantly associated with patient satisfaction at the outpatient clinic in our study.