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Relationship of resident characteristics, attitudes, prior training and clinical knowledge to communication skills performance
Author(s) -
Suzuki Laidlaw Toni,
Kaufman David M,
MacLeod Heather,
Van Zanten Sander,
Simpson David,
Wrixon William
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
medical education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.776
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1365-2923
pISSN - 0308-0110
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2929.2005.02345.x
Subject(s) - checklist , communication skills , medical education , communication skills training , affect (linguistics) , psychology , skills management , medicine , communication , cognitive psychology
Purpose A substantial body of literature demonstrates that communication skills in medicine can be taught and retained through teaching and practice. Considerable evidence also reveals that characteristics such as gender, age, language and attitudes affect communication skills performance. Our study examined the characteristics, attitudes and prior communication skills training of residents to determine the relationship of each to patient–doctor communication. The relationship between communication skills proficiency and clinical knowledge application (biomedical and ethical) was also examined through the use of doctor‐developed clinical content checklists, as very little research has been conducted in this area. Methods A total of 78 first‐ and second‐year residents across all departments at Dalhousie Medical School participated in a videotaped 4‐station objective structured clinical examination presenting a range of communication and clinical knowledge challenges. A variety of instruments were used to gather information and assess performance. Two expert raters evaluated the videotapes. Results Significant relationships were observed between resident characteristics, prior communication skills training, clinical knowledge and communication skills performance. Females, younger residents and residents with English as first language scored significantly higher, as did residents with prior communication skills training. A significant positive relationship was found between the clinical content checklist and communication performance. Gender was the only characteristic related significantly to attitudes. Conclusions Gender, age, language and prior communication skills training are related to communication skills performance and have implications for resident education. The positive relationship between communication skills proficiency and clinical knowledge application is important and should be explored further.