- Kern's Six-Step Approach and competency-based medical education informed a structured psychosomatic medicine curriculum for general practice residents.
- Five core modules used lectures, standardised patient interviews, Balint groups and clinical rotations to teach knowledge, communication, prevention and GP self-care.
- Pilot with 29 residents showed feasibility and significant gains in knowledge and communication; clinical reasoning and attitudes improved but were not statistically significant.
BMC Med Educ. 2026 Jul 10. doi: 10.1186/s12909-026-09850-z. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Psychosomatic disorders are highly prevalent in primary care worldwide, yet structured training for general practitioners (GPs) remains limited. This study applied Kern’s Six-Step Approach, grounded in the principles of competency-based medical education (CBME), to develop a globally relevant psychosomatic medicine curriculum and to evaluate its initial feasibility and effectiveness.
METHODS: We applied Kern’s Six-Step Approach, grounded in the principles of CBME, to design a psychosomatic medicine curriculum for GPs.The curriculum comprised five core modules: (1) an overview of psychosomatic medicine; (2) clinical management of common psychosomatic conditions in primary care settings; (3) mental health prevention and rehabilitation; (4) Doctor-Patient communication and psychological counseling; and (5) self-care and professional development for GPs. A variety of evidence-based instructional methods were employed, including lectures, standardized patient (SP) interviews, Balint groups, and clinical rotations, to foster comprehensive competencies in psychosomatic medicine.
RESULTS: We recruited 29 general practice residents. Among them, 26 completed the pre- and post-training assessments, and the average curriculum completion rate was 75.1%. Significant improvements were observed in exam scores of knowledge (p < 0.001), self-assessed knowledge (p < 0.001), faculty-rated communication performance using the SEGUE Framework (p < 0.001), and SP-rated communication satisfaction (p < 0.001). While clinical reasoning showed improvement, it did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.063). Overall self-assessed psychosomatic competency by GP residents increased significantly (p < 0.05), including knowledge (p < 0.001) and skills (p < 0.05). However, attitudes was not statistically significant(p = 0.103).
CONCLUSION: This study developed and piloted a structured psychosomatic medicine training framework in a hospital in Shanghai. The findings indicate that the program is feasible and that its modular design may be relevant beyond the Chinese context, offering a practical point of reference for adaptation in primary care settings facing similar constraints.
PMID:42432622 | DOI:10.1186/s12909-026-09850-z
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