Medical education initiatives in communication skills

Medical educators at undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing medical education levels acknowledge that communication is a fundamental medical skill. Responding to patient, professional and governmental advocates, as well as to advances in research on patient-physician communication and its teaching, some medical educators are in the process of starting new communication curricula, while others are working at expanding, integrating and further developing already well-established programs. For most people working in this area, the question is no longer whether to teach and assess communication skills and attitudes but, rather, how to do so most efficiently and effectively. In order to enhance the development of communication curricula at all levels, we first provide a brief look at how communication education has become widely encouraged in many parts of the globe, and we set out the underlying assumptions that frame the teaching and learning of communication in medicine. We then summarize critical components common to many established communication curricula and identify a series of specific strategies for teaching communication skills. We include a chart that describes a sample of the wide variety of resources available to assist in the development and teaching of communication curricula in medicine. Finally, we consider gaps in current communication curricula and suggest the next steps and ideas for moving forwards.