Role-Play as an Effective Teaching Tool in Medical Education: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Undergraduate Students

Background: Effective communication is a cornerstone of medical practice, and role-play has emerged as an engaging method to enhance medical students’ interpersonal and clinical skills. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of role-play in improving knowledge and communication among undergraduate medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 50 second-year MBBS students at Madha Medical College, Chennai. After an interactive lecture on Empathy and autonomy students completed a pre-test (5 marks). A group of 10 students then performed a structured role-play on the same topic, followed by discussion and feedback. Subsequently, all students undertook a post-test with the same question. Data were analyzed using paired t-test in SPSS version 26. Additionally, students completed a structured questionnaire to assess their perceptions of the role-play session, with responses analyzed descriptively. Results: The mean pre-test score was 54.28 ± 11.01, which significantly improved to 63.40 ± 10.56 in the post-test (p < 0.05). Questionnaire responses revealed that students perceived role-play as an enjoyable, interactive, and effective method that enhanced recall, improved understanding of concepts, and stimulated active participation compared to traditional lectures. Conclusion: Role-play proved to be an effective teaching strategy for medical undergraduates, enhancing both knowledge retention and communication skills. It provides an engaging, student-centered approach that can complement conventional teaching methods in medical education.