Abstract from Brera G. R. Education in Person Centered Clinical Method and Perceived Quality of Person Centered Clinical method 1st International Symposium on new perspectives in medical education- Person Centered Clinical Method and its Teaching Results in Medical Practice ( a first pilot study)* **ITFOP

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Abstract from
Brera G. R. Education in Person Centered Clinical Method and Perceived Quality of
Person Centered Clinical method
1st International Symposium on new perspectives in medical education-
Assisi, Italy, October 24, 2003
Person Centered Clinical Method and its Teaching Results in Medical Practice
( a first pilot study)*
Giuseppe R. Brera* and ITFOP**
*Director of the Milan School of Medicine and the Person Centered Medicine Research Centyer of Ambrosiana
University and Italian Society of Adolescentology .
** Italian Task Force for Person-Centred-Medicine (ITFOP)
**ITFOP
L. Berti, MD MA * F. Della Croce MD MA,**, P. Pinciaroli MD MA ,* I. P. Pissavini MD MA,**
Mariangela Porta MD MA *, G. Zanon A. MD MA ,*
*Cooperated in PCCM teaching
**Cooperated in the teaching procedures assessment
Corresponding author
Prof. Giuseppe R. Brera, MD
Address :Vle Romagna 51, 20133 Milano
Ph : 0039 2 2666880
Fax 0039 2 2361226
e-mail gbrera@unambro.it
Socrates…… Well then, could we ever know what art makes the man himself
better, if we were ignorant of what we are ourselves ?
Alcibiades: Impossible !
The first investigation on Person Centered Medicine

Summary
Background
Clinical method is the fundament of medical science, but to our knowledge up to now there
haven’t been investigations about its effect on medical practice quality. Person-Centered
Medicine is a new interactionist and teleonomic paradigm of medical science, structured on the
integration of humanities, biologics and clinics. This paradigm has developed a new standard of
clinical method: the “Person Centered Clinical Method”
The aim of the study is to investigate about the first application quality of the Person Centered
Clinical Method (PPCM) by a three years trained physicians’ sample.
Methods
It is a descriptive pilot study. 20 Physicians (7 medical practitioners, 6 Paediatricians, 3
hospital doctors, 4 private doctors –people assisted: 16.000) accepted to fill out a questionnaire
on “ PCCM Quality in Medical Practice” and e-mail it upon completion. Questionnaire items,
positive answers’ rates about the perception of a change in medical practice, associations with the
physicians’role were studied with descriptive statistics and cross tabulations.
Findings
Physicians state that PCCM improves patients’ comprehension (95%) and patients’ quality of
life and health, (75%), saves useless examinations and drug prescriptions, (70%) spares
unnecessary hospitalizations ( 55%) but requests more time to dedicate to patients
(55%).PCCM effectiveness in saving useless examinations and drug prescription is significantly
associated to medical role (P=0,02). MP (100%) and Paediatricians ( 85%) declare that PCCM
is effective in sparing useless examinations, drug prescription and unnecessary hospitalizations .
There is general agreement about the necessity and importance to learn and spread PCCM.
Interpretation
MCCP leads to medical practice quality improvement. Most impressive are the abilities the
PCCM has in improving skills in comprehending patients’ problems, in saving useless
examination and drug prescriptions, and in improving the quality of life and health in general.

TAB. 1
“ PCCM and Medical Care Quality ”
“ Do you believe that PCCM is incident on medical care quality ?”
%
Permits a better comprehension of patient and his own problems
95
Improves the finalization of specialty referrals and technical
examinations
30
Saves useless examinations and drug prescriptions.
70
Spares unnecessary hospitalizations
55
Reduces hospitalisation times (only if HP)[1]
10
Improves professional realization
40
Is effective on patients’ quality of life and health improvement
75
Reduces doctor -dependency
45
Creates new possibilities for research
30
Shortens improvement times
30
Requests more time to dedicate to patient
55
All the MD believe that PCCM is incident on medical care quality . Patients’ comprehension spare of
unuseful examination, drug prescriptions, hospitalizations , effectiveness on improvement of life style an
health are the best rated.

TAB. 2
Medical Role and PCCM Quality
N
Answers categories
MP
P
HP
PD
p
1
Permits a better comprehension of
patient and his own problems
2
Improves the finalization of
specialty referrals and technical
examinations
2
(33.3%)
2
(28.6%)
1
(33.3%)
1
(25.0%)
0.992
3
Saves useless examinations
and drug prescriptions.
6
(100.0%)
6
(85.7%)
1
(33.3%)
1
(25.0%)
0.027
4
Spares unnecessary
hospitalizations
5
(83%)
4
(57.1%)
1
(33.3%)
1
(25.0%)
0.263
5
Reduces hospitalisation times
(only hospital MD))
6
Improves professional realization
2
(33.3%)
4
(57.1%)
2
(66.7%)
0
(0%)
0.210
7
Is effective on patients’ quality of
life and health improvement
4
(66.7%)
6
(85.7%)
1
(33.3%)
4
(100.0%
)
0.190
8
Creates more patients’
possibilities for self-health
management
2
(33.3%)
3
(42.9%)
1
(33.3%)
3
(75.0%)
0.580
9
Creates new possibilities for
research
3
(50.%)
2
(28.6%)
1
(33.3%)
0 (0%)
0.411
10
Shortens improvement times
0
(0%)
4
(57.1%)
1
(33.3%)
1
(25.0%)
0.165
11
Requests more time to dedicate to
patient
4
(66.7%)
4
(57.1%)
1
(33.3%)
2
(50.0%)
0.813
About the possible associations between medical role and answers, PCCM gives evidence to significant
differences in the items: “ Saves useless examinations and drug prescriptions. : “ Spares
unnecessary hospitalizations “, “Improves professional realization “, “Is effective on patients’

quality of life and health improvement,” “Is effective on patients’ quality of life and health
improvement “ “Creates more patients’ possibilities for self-health management “ Creates new
possibilities for research”. “Shortens improvement times”
No differences appear in the following items: “Improves the finalization of specialty referrals and
technical examinations , “ Requests more time to dedicate to patient.” Borderline differences appear
in the item :” Creates more patients’ possibilities for self-health management”
Tab. 3
Rate of positive answers
ITEMS
N
% of
answers
% of
cases
Permits a better comprehension of patient and his own problems
19
17.8
95.0
Is effective on patients’ quality of life and health improvement
15
14.0
75.0
Saves useless examinations and drug prescriptions
14
13.1
70.0
Spares unnecessary hospitalizations
11
10.3
55.0
Requests more time to dedicate to patient
11
10.3
55.0
Creates more patients’ possibilities for self-health management
9
8.4
45.0
Improves professional realization
8
7.5
40.0
Improves the finalization of specialty referrals and technical
examinations
6
5.6
30.0
Creates new possibilities for research
6
5.6
30.0
Shortens recovery times
6
5.6
30.0
Reduces hospitalisation times (only hospital MD))
2
1.9
10.0
Overall
107
100.0
535.0
Comprehension of patient, effectiveness on life style and health, spare of unuseful examinations and drug
prescription and hospitalization are the first four hits of MD trained in PCCM.