Attitude of faculty towards communication skill training of undergraduate medical students-A pilot study

Doctor patient communication is a core soft skill and forms the very essence of clinical competence. Until recently this core area was given very little importance and students were expected to imbibe the skill on the go during their course. But in the present scenario, given the fact that patients too are highly informed, it is very essential for clinicians to have good communication skills. Therefore it is only appropriate to incorporate teaching communication skill in the undergraduate medical curriculum.

To assess the attitude of faculty towards communication skill training of undergraduate medical students

This is a cross-sectional study involving fifty teaching faculty from the ranks of Lecturer to Professor. The participants were selected by random sampling method. A modified Communication Skill Attitude Scale (CSAS) questionnaire was used to assess the attitude of the participants. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 11.

The mean Positive Attitude scores and Negative Attitude scores were calculated. Overall the participants had a statistically significant PAS score which showed that they had a positive attitude towards implementation of communication skill training for medical students. There was no significant difference in the mean PAS and NAS scores between genders, specialty or ranks of the participants.

The results of the study indicate that the faculty at Amrita School of Medicine has a very positive attitude to introduction of communication skill training in the undergraduate medical curriculum. Faculty members who participated in the study clearly supported the importance of communication.