A model for communication skills development for family practice residents

The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to demonstrate the need for including interpersonal communication skills training in family practice residency programs, and (2) to present a communication model that can be used for such training. Interpersonal communication skills are important in almost all areas of contact with patients: history taking, physical examination, prescription writing and patient education, counseling, and psychotherapy. Presentation of the communication model includes definition of the interpersonal communication skills that would be stressed in family practice residency programs. These skills include empathy, respect, warmth, concreteness, genuineness, self-disclosure, confrontation, immediacy, and behavior modification. Examples of how a family physician may communicate each of these skills are also included. The implementation of the communication model in a department of family practice for training residents and faculty in the use of these communication skills is also described.