Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness
Published on: August 1, 2017
Communication and social competencies in medical education in German-speaking countries: the Basel consensus
Claudia Kiessling1, Anja Dieterich, Götz Fabry
1Medical Faculty of the University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. claudia.kiessling@unibas.ch
Objective:
To propose a comprehensive set of competencies and educational objectives for communication and social competencies in undergraduate medical education and to support the nationwide implementation of these issues in all medical schools.
Methods:
Thirty experts from different medical and psychosocial disciplines participated in a 2-day workshop using the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to develop an initial set of educational objectives. These were refined, structured, and rated according to their importance by means of a two-step Delphi Survey involving additional experts in medical education.
Results:
The initial workshop resulted in 188 educational objectives assigned to 26 different topics. After the Delphi Survey, 131 objectives remained, assigned to 19 different topics. Some objectives that could be assigned to more than one topic were subsumed under a new more general category.
Conclusion:
The described consensus process proved successful as one method to develop a set of educational objectives.
Practical Implications:
The Basel consensus statement can be used to orientate curriculum reform and development in medical education.
Related Concept Videos
Barriers to Effective Communication II
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
Therapeutic Communication
Verbal communication depends on language or a prescribed way of using words so that people can share information effectively. The critical aspects of verbal...
Communication
Within...
Role of Communication in the Nursing Process I: Assessment and Diagnosis
The nursing process considers the patient's emotional and physical well-being. The process can be repeated or stopped at any point if judged essential. Assessment is the first step in the nursing process.
Role of Communication in the Nursing Process III: Evaluation and Documentation
Barriers to Effective Communication I
Communication barriers include the following:
Physiological barriers: They are limitations caused by a person's health condition or disability, such as hearing loss, poor eyesight, illness, or unconsciousness. An example to overcome this barrier...
