Teaching of communication skills in Spanish nursing schools: an overview

The main objective of this study is to review the teaching of communication skills in Spain as part of the nursing curriculum. A survey was carried out to identify the practical and theoretical issues pertinent to this question. Forty Spanish Nursing Schools took part. Our survey discovered that communication skills are not generally considered in the selection process of the students because personal interviews are rarely used. Communication skills are taught in the first and second years, mainly in Fundamentals of Nursing and subjects related to Psychology and Mental Health. Nursing and psychology were the predominant professional background of the teachers. Lectures, discussion groups and workshops were the main teaching methods. The assessment, when it existed, was often theoretical and, occasionally, using a real patient or a written case report. The authors propose that the knowledge of the teaching situation in Spain is the starting point for any future projects on communication.