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Lexicon creation to promote faculty development in medical communication
Richard W Arnold1, David P Losh, Larry B Mauksch
1University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98105-6920, United States. rwarnold@u.washington.edu
Patient Education and Counseling
|October 10, 2008
Summary
Medical educators can agree on a shared lexicon for physician-patient communication skills. This standardized language enhances teaching consistency and improves student communication training.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Communication Skills Training
- Health Professions Education
Background:
- Most medical educators lack formal training in teaching and assessing medical communication.
- Inconsistent approaches to communication skills education exist among medical faculty.
Purpose of the Study:
- To achieve consensus within an educational community on a standardized lexicon of communication terms.
- To enhance the teaching of physician-patient communication skills to medical students.
Main Methods:
- An interdisciplinary committee developed a list of 23 key communication terms with definitions.
- Preclinical faculty from nine specialties reviewed and rated the lexicon terms and definitions.
- Faculty were surveyed regarding agreement on definitions, barriers to use, and implementation strategies.
Main Results:
- Unanimous agreement was reached on 19 out of 23 definitions.
- A majority of faculty agreed on the definitions for the remaining four terms.
- Sixty-nine percent of surveyed faculty reported using the terms in their teaching.
Conclusions:
- Establishing a shared medical communication lexicon can unify and strengthen faculty educational efforts.
- Medical educators can successfully agree on the content of a communication lexicon for student training.
- Consistent use of a defined lexicon reduces ambiguity, standardizes teaching, and improves recognition and reinforcement of communication skills.
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