National Medical Debating Tournament – Jordan (IFMSA-Jo)

Name of the activity: National Medical Debating Tournament

Country/NMO: Jordan (IFMSA-Jo)

Program: Teaching Medical Skills

Contact information: [email protected]

Type of the activity: Education

General description:

The National Medical Debating Tournament is an event that will gather the forces of medical students from all over the country to debate on controversial medical topics that are a major concern in these times, and which they will be facing in their everyday life as doctors.
One of the most important NGO’s recommending debate and negotiation is the United Nations which fully support and emphasize on its importance as a way of expressing each country’s view and how to resolve international issues.

Another important NGO in Arab Region is the Arab Voice which has been active since years and yet it assures debating and negotiating in an effective and efficient method.

As many as 80% of the errors initiating cascades involve informational or personal miscommunication, this includes information among colleagues, between patient and physician, inaccessible medical records, etc. In Addition, About 80% of all serious medical errors involve miscommunication during care transitions (to different care settings). Bad conduct between the physician and the patient is spread worldwide and is a major issue that results in wrong diagnosis, wrong tests orders and major medical mistakes.

All the facts described above make decisive evidence that a structured approach to communication skills will measurably improves healthcare delivery and is much needed. The aim of this project is to help create that structured approach to better communication in the medical field to help improve the healthcare system through debating, because the debater will learn major skills in communication; including active listening, conflict resolution, clarity and concision, and respecting the other side, etc.
Learning these skills will be made sure by both parts of the event which will be the training workshop provided by internationally certified trainers and the debating tournament that follows .

Focus area:

Doctor-Patient communication skills, students will gain more knowledge about their medical profession and the ongoing issues of the medical system throughout the debates by preparing for their scientific medical topics. Communication between care providers is a major issue that this project aims to fix as well

Problem statement:

14- It has been observed that communication skills tend to decline as medical students progress through their medical education, and over time doctors in training tend to lose their focus on holistic patient care. Furthermore, the emotional and physical brutality of medical training, particularly during internship and residency, suppresses empathy, substitute’s techniques and procedures for talk, and may even result in derision of patients.
A clinician may conduct as many as 150,000 patient interviews during a typical career. If viewed as a healthcare procedure, the patient interview is the most commonly used procedure that the clinician will employ. Yet communication training for clinicians and other healthcare professionals historically has received far less attention throughout the training process than have other clinical tasks.
As many as 80% of the errors initiating cascades involve informational or personal miscommunication, this includes information among colleagues, between patient and physician, inaccessible medical records, etc. In Addition, About 80% of all serious medical errors involve miscommunication during care transitions (to different care settings). Bad conduct between the physician and the patient is spread worldwide and is a major issue that results in wrong diagnosis, wrong tests orders and major medical mistakes.
All the facts described above make decisive evidence that a structured approach to communication skills will measurably improves healthcare delivery and is much needed. The aim of this project is to help create that structured approach to better communication in the medical field to help improve the healthcare system through debating, because the debater will learn major skills in communication; including active listening, conflict resolution, clarity and concision, and respecting the other side, etc.

Target groups and beneficiaries:

This Program is directly targeting the medical students in their college years , and what the students learn will be reflected on their approach to the medical system and their approach to the patients they will be dealing with in the future producing major benefits for the patients as explained above .

Objectives and indicators of success:

1-Providing medical students with the communication skills that they need in dealing with their patients and other health care providers .
Workshops before each tournament will be a great basis for this learning curve.
The international credited trainers will provide the debaters with a debating course that includes the following:
1- A Review of the Three-On-Three Style
2-Defintions
3-Constructing and deconstructing arguments
4-Tactics
5-Preparation
6-Communication skills
and the tournaments will be the training ground for the students to apply what they have learnt .
2- Students will gain more knowledge about their medical profession throughout the debates by preparing for their scientific medical topics.
the debate topics will include ethical , economical and scientific medical topics which will require the students to do research and understand every aspect concerning their debatable topic and this will allow them to put their hands on even more information that they can use in their life as Doctors.

Methodology:

1- A one day training workshop will take place in each university before the local tournament in one week, professional licensed trainers will give these workshops. Professional trainers will enlighten the debaters on the basis and system of the debates that we will work on in the tournament, and the scientific way of research.
The trainer’s job will be to provide the debaters with a debating course that includes the following:
1- A Review of the Three-On-Three Style
2-Defintions
3-Constructing and deconstructing arguments
4-Tactics
5-Preparation

2- The first stage of this event will include a local tournament in 5 colleges, Mutah University, The Hashemite University, University of Jordan, Yarmouk University and Jordan University of Science and Technology.
The tournament will be open to all medical students who are still in their college years (Each team consists of 3 members).
The tournament topics will be medical which will help students to gain more knowledge and to learn how to debate in scientific matters.
An organizer from each university will be in command of the tournament.
A judging panel for the debates, which consist of medical students who are experienced in debates, will be assigned (Each team consists of 3 members).

3- The Grand Finales is the fruit of all these tournaments where the champions from each of the 5 universities will debate their way through finales to win the title. This event will include the semifinals and the grand finale.

5 topics will be given to each champion from the 5 universities; they will have to prepare for 5 different topics as if they were against or with the argument, the teams will be given their topics of their debates and which side they are supporting before 30 mins of the debate; giving them time to prepare, this will help build a more competitive atmosphere, and will make sure that the teams are well prepared.

Plans for evaluation:

We will be assessing their knowledge through pre and post evaluation form to determine the gain and the improvements on their debating skills.

We will be assessing what their thoughts before and after the trainings and do they recommend this to their peers .

We will be taking feedback during every step of the debates about the time , place , information provided , organization.