Creation of a model for training the communication skills of medical specialists

BACKGROUND: Effective interaction between medical workers and patients is not only a service function but also influences compliance with the implementation of recommendations for the prevention and treatment of diseases. The communicative competence of healthcare professionals affects treatment effectiveness and the success of health-preserving measures.

AIM: To examine the problems associated with the formation of communicative competence and determine the fundamental principles of the model of communicative skills of a medical worker.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature review of 32 domestic and 54 foreign publications on teaching communication in medicine was performed. The work of an expert focus group within the framework of a strategic session on communication skills “A coordinated approach to teaching communication skills in medicine” was analyzed.

RESULTS: During the work of the focus group, experts reviewed and specified the main shortcomings in the work of medical personnel in ensuring communication with the patient. In the second part of the focus group work, based on communication defects, four blocks of skills were developed to avoid communication errors. Because of a review of literature data and a generalization of the results of the work of experts, a prototype model of the communication skills of a medical worker was proposed.

CONCLUSIONS: Existing models of medical communication must adapt to national characteristics based on research and joint discussions. The authors propose using fundamental principles of the model of communication skills of a medical worker in educational programs of higher and additional professional education, as outlined in this article.