How do medical students learn to communicate with patients? A study of fourth-year medical students' attitudes to doctor-patient communication

Abstract

The importance of effective communication between doctor and patient is being increasingly emphasized and this subject has gradually been introduced into the medical curriculum. It is widely accepted that communication skills can be taught but practical experience of teaching undergraduates indicates that students' abilities to understand and communicate with their patients varies enormously. There is little published work specifically examining students' attitudes to communication between doctor and patient and how they learn these skills. This study examines how fourth-year medical students perceive they have learnt to communicate with patients with specific emphasis on their experiences of communication skills teaching within the medical curriculum. Results indicate that students find themselves in a dilemma, feeling both unconfident of their own communication skills but cynical about the value of formal teaching in this area. Guidelines for a communication skills teaching programme based on these findings are discussed.