Korean J Med Educ.  2014 Sep;26(3):179-187. 10.3946/kjme.2014.26.3.179.

Evaluating the short-term effects of a communication skills program for preclinical medical students

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Medical Education, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. ymleehj@korea.ac.kr

Abstract

PURPOSE
Regardless of the growing importance of communication skills as a core clinical competence, few studies have determined the effects of communication skills courses in undergraduate medical curricula in Asian medical schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a communication skills program for preclinical medical students.
METHODS
A communication skills course was provided to 111 second-year medical students in a medical college in Korea. Students' self-assessed competency of communication skills was evaluated by a questionnaire survey. To examine the improvement in observed communication skills, the students' encounters with standardized patients (SPs) were assessed at the first session and at the final course assessment. A structured checklist, consisting of 25 communication skills items, was used for the assessment.
RESULTS
Students' self-assessed competency of communication skills increased significantly after completion of the course (p<0.001). The observed communication skills scores also improved significantly at the end of the course; the mean scores of the first SPs encounters was 49.6 (standard deviation [SD], 11.1), and those of cases A and B at the final assessment were 61.5 (SD, 8.4) and 69.6 (SD, 7.8), respectively (F61=269.54, p<0.001).
CONCLUSION
Even a short period of medical communication skills course was beneficial in developing and improving communication skills competency in preclinical medical students. Further studies should be followed to examine whether the acquisition of communication skills during preclinical studies can be sustained into clerkship and actual practice.

Keyword

Communication; Program evaluation; Undergraduate medical education

MeSH Terms

Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Checklist
Clinical Competence
Curriculum
Education, Medical, Undergraduate
Humans
Korea
Program Evaluation
Schools, Medical
Students, Medical*
Surveys and Questionnaires
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