Telephone T.A.L.K.: a teaching/assessment tool for medical training

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Communication Skills
• Physician Training

Background:

• Effective physician-patient communication is crucial, especially in telephone consultations.
• Assessing and teaching interpersonal communication skills for physicians requires structured tools.
• The telephone is a common medium for physician-patient interactions, necessitating specific communication skill development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an instrument for teaching and assessing physician interpersonal communication skills specifically for telephone interactions.
• To create a structured framework for evaluating physician communication behaviors during phone calls.
• To provide a tool for faculty to give feedback to residents on their telephone communication.

Main Methods:

• Developed a conceptual framework named T.A.L.K. (Trust, Assert, Listen, and K.I.S.S. - Know, Inquire, Solve, Stroke).
• Organized 22 specific physician behaviors within the T.A.L.K. framework.
• Utilized faculty feedback on taped resident telephone calls using T.A.L.K. guidelines.
• Incorporated a five-point scale for skill assessment and program evaluation.

Main Results:

• An instrument based on the T.A.L.K. framework was successfully developed.
• The instrument organizes 22 specific communication behaviors for teaching and assessment.
• Faculty feedback using T.A.L.K. guidelines was provided to residents on taped calls.
• A five-point scale was integrated for quantitative assessment and evaluation.

Conclusions:

• The developed instrument provides a systematic approach to teaching and assessing physician telephone communication skills.
• The T.A.L.K. framework offers a practical structure for understanding and improving physician-patient interactions via phone.
• This tool can be used for both individual skill assessment and broader program evaluation in medical education.