[Exploratory study of ethics, norms and communication skills in medical residents]

Medical schools teach technical-scientific knowledge more than social abilities. Confidence in the doctor-patient relationship is obtained through appropriate communication. The predominant medical education model assumes that communication abilities are acquired by the experienced physician in clinical practice. The present study presents a first approach and exploration of three central subjects for the development of a suitable doctor-patient relationship. We observed that the integration of evaluated knowledge was low: communication 21.1%, ethics 40.5%, legal issues 0.1% and doctor-patient conflicts 1.5%. In the analysis of communication models by genre, we found that women were more paternalist and men were more deliberative; the predominant model of communication is paternalism (40.2%). Physicians between 21 and 25 years of age integrated the knowledge better (communication, ethics and doctor-patient conflicts) than at other ages. Physicians between 41 and 45 years of age integrated ethical concepts with significantly less frequency. Parental education was associated with models of communication and integration of knowledge (p <0.001). The results demonstrate the lack of knowledge related to these topics.