What do medical trainees think is so difficult about communicating with patients?

To identify the communication skills medical trainees perceive themselves to avoid or use during initial clinical encounters and the areas of communication learning need they identify.

446 2nd year undergraduate medical students were invited to take part in the study. Details of four encounters with patients were entered into a web-based electronic logbook by the student. Details included perception of use, success and requests for further training from a list of communication process skills.

395 (89%) students took part. Factor analysis yielded three types of skills: those used to manage the flow of interaction; the emotional content of the interaction; and structuring the interaction. Skills perceived as being used least often and least successfully and identified by the students as requiring further training were primarily those that involved managing the emotional aspects of interactions with patients rather than managing the flow of information.

Communication training should focus further on the emotional aspects of patient interactions in order to support students during early clinical encounters.

Skills required to manage emotional encounters need to be made more explicit to students. Opportunities to obtain feedback and develop competency should be offered as part of the core curriculum.