Teaching Medical Educators How to Teach Communication Skills: More than a Decade of Experience. Issue 5 (May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Spagnoletti, Carla L.; Merriam, Sarah; Milberg, Laurel; Cohen, William I.; Arnold, Robert M.
• Is Part Of: Southern medical journal. Volume 111:Issue 5(2018)
• Publication Date: 2018-05
• Subjects: medical education -- patient–doctor communication -- simulated patients -- standardized patients -- teaching communication; Medicine -- Periodicals; 610.5
• DOI: 10.14423/SMJ.0000000000000801
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0038-4348

Abstract

Abstract: Objectives: Although opportunities exist for medical educators to gain additional training in teaching, literature that describes how to teach educators to teach communication skills to trainees is limited. The authors developed and evaluated a faculty development course that uses didactics, demonstration, drills, and role-play in a small-group format. Methods: The course has been offered through the Institute for Clinical Research Education at the University of Pittsburgh for almost 15 years. Course effectiveness was evaluated with a survey of 62 clinicians who completed the course between 2003 and 2012. Results: The response rate was 85%. A total of 98% would recommend the course to a colleague and 98% indicated the course was effective at developing teaching techniques. Their use of standardized patients, teaching in small groups, and role-play increased as a result of participation in the course. A total of 70% went on to formally teach communication skills at various medical education levels. Conclusions: This structured course effectively taught participants how to teach patient–doctor communication in both classroom and clinical settings. The majority put these techniques to use in formal settings. This course also provided educators with the skills necessary to meet the growing needs of training programs charged with teaching the next generation of providers to effectively communicate with patients. The description presented can serve as a framework for faculty development in teaching communication. Abstract : Effective communication with patients, which is essential to medical practice, has been linked to improved clinical outcomes and improved patient satisfaction. Several studies have described curricula used to teach healthcare providers how to communicate with patients, yet little has been published about the effective training of medical educators in how to lead such curricular efforts, despite a rich literature on training educators how to be better teachers in other areas. This article outlines a framework used for more than a decade to teach medical educators how to teach communication skills.