Communication skills training in orthopaedics.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Communication Skills Training

Background:

• Effective communication is crucial in medical education and patient care.
• Identifying key communication components is vital for resident training.
• Understanding current communication skill instruction methods is necessary.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify essential communication skills for orthopaedic residents.
• To understand program directors' perspectives on these skills.
• To assess current communication training practices in orthopaedic residency.

Main Methods:

• Mixed methods design incorporating quantitative and qualitative data.
• Survey distributed to Canadian orthopaedic residents.
• Focus groups with residents and interviews with program directors.

Main Results:

• Both residents and program directors emphasize accurate language (content) over delivery (process).
• Barriers include time constraints and diverse personalities.
• Residents receive minimal explicit communication training, relying on implicit learning.

Conclusions:

• Focus on content and conciseness in communication skills is valued.
• Experiential learning and role modeling are key for skill development.
• Future education should prioritize process skills over didactic methods.