Appraisal of the communication skills of residents in the Family Medicine Program in Central Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objectives:To assess patients’ perceptions of the communication skills of family medicine residents.Methods:This is a cross-sectional study. Data were collected from patients, seeing 23 residents from 4 family medicine residency programs in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia namely, King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh Military Hospital, Security Forces Hospital, and King Abdul-Aziz Medical City. The translated version of the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) was used. Data were collected during January and February 2013.Results:A total of 350 patients completed the CAT, with an 87.5% response rate. Patients rated each resident differently, but the mean percentage of items, which residents rated as excellent was 71%. In general, male residents were rated higher 72.8 ± 27.2 than female residents 67.8 ± 32.2 with a significant difference; (p<0.005). Also, significant differences were found based on the gender of the residents, when each item of the CAT was compared. Comparing training centers, there were no significant differences found in the overall percentage of items rated as excellent or among items of the CAT.Conclusion:The study identified areas of strength and weaknesses that need to be addressed to improve communication skills of physicians.

Communication Skills of Resident Physicians in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia

“…One of the ndings of our investigation was that female gender is associated with better asking skills, whereas, in other components, there were no differences between female and male residents. This is contrary to past studies where Saudi patients rated male trainees higher than females (11). We also con rmed that older residents have higher scores in communication skills.…”

“…Other studies have reported Family Medicine trainees are more skilled than Surgical trainees in providing information (18). It should also be noted that patients' perceptions of the communication skills of Family Medicine trainees in Saudi Arabia were shown to be relatively favorable in previous studies, however, this nding could not be replicated in the current study (11).This is an important nding that points towards gaps in specialty training in Family Medicine in the region and warrants further exploration. For pediatric trainees, there is inherent complexity around effective communication with patients and families (21).…”

“…These skills are not limited to talking, but include listening and nonverbal communication (17). The ndings of the current study indicate that the level of communication skills of local resident trainees was not satisfactory and are similar to communication skill levels reported in regional studies (8,9,11,12,18).…”

Self-assessment of residents in respect of attitudes to communication

“…The communication skills of a physician have a significant impact on patient health promotion and health education, especially in primary care practice where patients are first to come into contact with doctors (Alsaad et al ., 2016).…”

“…The communication skills of a physician have a significant impact on patient health promotion and health education, especially in primary care practice where patients are first to come into contact with doctors (Alsaad et al, 2016). Levinson and Roter (1995) demonstrated that the psychosocial attitudes of primary care physicians are related to their communication behaviours.…”