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Can nonverbal communication skills be taught?
Hirono Ishikawa1, Hideki Hashimoto, Makoto Kinoshita
1Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan. hirono-tky@umin.ac.jp
Medical Teacher
|September 22, 2010
Summary
Medical students trained in nonverbal communication (NVC) showed increased awareness but no significant improvement in NVC performance during clinical exams. Further research is needed to enhance NVC skills in medical education.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Communication Skills Training
- Physician Interpersonal Skills
Background:
- Nonverbal communication (NVC) is crucial for physicians but underrepresented in medical curricula.
- Existing medical education often overlooks the importance of NVC in patient interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a training program for teaching nonverbal communication (NVC) skills to medical students.
- To assess the program's impact on students' awareness and performance of NVC during objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs).
Main Methods:
- 106 preclerkship students participated in communication skills training, with some receiving an NVC intervention.
- Student goals for OSCE interviews were analyzed, and NVC performance was assessed via video recordings.
- Faculty facilitators delivered either a standard or NVC intervention program.
Main Results:
- Students in the NVC intervention group were more likely to set goals related to NVC.
- No significant differences were observed in the objective evaluation of students' NVC performance during the OSCE.
- The training effectively raised student awareness regarding NVC aspects.
Conclusions:
- The NVC training program successfully enhanced medical students' awareness of nonverbal communication.
- The intervention, however, was insufficient to induce measurable changes in actual NVC performance during clinical assessments.
- Additional research is recommended to determine effective strategies for improving NVC performance through further training.
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