Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Communication Skills in Clinical Practice
Teaching staff
Students may ask lecturers questions at the end of each class. For enquiries outside of class time, students must make an appointment by email:
Dra. Montserrat Virumbrales Cancio (montsev@uic.es)
Dra. Marta Elorduy Hernandez-Vaquero (melorduy@uic.es)
Introduction
Following in order to train the future doctors entirely, in this course we intend to develop the personal qualities, skills and competencies that promote the communication, focusing on the relationship with patients and families.
According to Buck(1994)” has Professional competences who: has knowledge, necessary skills and abilities, to practice a profession; can review professional problems independently and flexible is also trained to work with their professional environment and in the organization of work.
From this perspective, competence is a behavior resulting from the acquisition of knowledge, skills and values, relatives of his life and his profession.
In this course we will focus especially on the communication for obtaining and carrying out the medical history and the interpersonal relationship, encouraging communication skills and considering ethical aspects, cultural, social and the patients rights .
Pre-course requirements
There are not previous requirements.
Objectives
The main objective is to advance the humanization of medicine, doing the work with the utmost professionalism and sensitivity to the needs of those who are protagonists of care: patients, families and other professionals.
Specific Objectives:
- Value the importance of communication skills in obtaining information relevant to the formulation of clinical diagnosis, treatment and tracing of patients.
- Started in the realization of a good anamnesis and clinical history as a basis to justify an orientation diagnosed and a treatment plan.
- Communication develop skills for interaction with the individual, Family and community.
- Know the characteristics and elements of verbal and nonverbal communication.
- Know the aspects that interfere proper communication.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 01 - Recognise the essential elements of the medical profession, including ethical principles, legal responsibilities and patient-centered professional skills.
- 02 - Understand the importance of central principles, in particular of professional confidentiality for the benefit of patients, society and the profession.
- 21 - Listen carefully, obtain and synthesize relevant information about the problems affecting the patient and understand the contents of this information.
- 23 - Communicate effectively and clearly, both orally and in writing with patients, family members, media and other professionals.
- 24 - Establish good interpersonal communication skills that enables efficient and empathetic communication with patients, relatives, media and other professionals.
- CTI-1 - To know how to communicate effectively through written and oral communication in a foreign language that will allow them to work in an international context.
- CTP-2 - To develop a perception and understanding of their own emotions and those of others, as well as the intelligence adjust answers.
- CTS-3 - To promote and ensure respect for human rights and the principles of universal accessibility, equality, non-discrimination as well as the values of democracy and a culture of peace.
Learning outcomes of the subject
After completing the course the student should be able to:
- Knows the importance of the healthcare communication and clinical interview.
- Identifies and explains the communicative principles and how these are applied in the clinic context.
- Knows the main techniques of verbal communication.
- Knows the essential components of nonverbal communication.
- Recognizes that an efficient communication with the patients influences in their satisfaction and improve the consultation results.
- Clearly and opportunity expresses ideas, knowledge and feelings through the word, adapting to the characteristics of the situation and the audience to achieve your understanding and adherence.
- Develop reflective thinking, deliberative, expressive.
- Have a good interpersonal communication.
- Transmits with conviction and safety.
- Knows how to adapt his speech to the characteristics of the receiver, and to the situation.
- Shows sensibility and empathy to the patient and his situations in cases with simulated patients.
Syllabus
1- The patient and disease. The role of the patient and the professional role sanitary.
To development of empathy.
2- The doctor-patient relationship: an approximation sociocultural.
3- Assistive communication
- The doctor-patient communication.
- Time and pace of communication.
- Active listen. Assertiveness. Empathy listen. Information and Communication.
- Appropriate language: Oral and written expression. Confidentiality. Professional secrecy.
- Types of communication according to the second transmitter and receiver.
- Position to the other, solidarity. Compression and expression of emotions.
- Adaptation to the environment. Interpersonal communication.
- Experiences and proposals of the students regarding improvements in communication.
4--Clinical interview. Phases, functions and models. Medical history structure.
1. The anamnesis basis of clinical interview. The medical history step by step.
5-the doctor as an educator. Acceptance of social and cultural diversity.
- Communication and promotion of healthy behaviors.
6-Rights and duties of the patient and the doctor.
- The information.
- The history, clinical report and instructions to the patient.
- The informed consent.
- The comprehensive assistance.
- The confidentiality.
- The autonomy.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Practical classes through them and using audiovisual methods, proceedings and or role play will be introduced effective dimension and experiential coherent with contents given: communication aspects, relational, decisions making...
ü Experiential and participatory group activities
ü Simulated patient encounters and feedback
ü Role playing and feedback through recorded interviews to provide students an opportunity to become familiar with different types of interview and communication strategies.
ü Reflective practice using visualization of movies related with the subject like a vehiculizador element.
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
It will be carried out through continuous evaluation, which will include the following components:
- Control of attendance and participation, being essential to attend all sessions. Absence from a session will only be admitted for duly justified cause. 15%
- Quality of team work in terms of content, reflection and presentation (originality, clarity in presentation, etc.) 35%
- Ability to communicate and/or identify barriers and facilitators in encounters with simulated patients.15%
- Activities and/or exercises carried out during the sessions. 35%
To pass the course, the student must obtain an average grade above 5 and have attended a minimum of 11 of the 12 sessions.
Students who do not pass the course in the ordinary call will have an extraordinary call in July that will consist of the realization of a portfolio that will include a series of exercises related to the contents worked on in the different sessions (50%), keeping the marks obtained in the ordinary call in the team project and in the component of participation in the activities.
Bibliography and resources
"Comunicación clínica. Principios y habilidades para la práctica". Roger Ruiz Moral. Editorial Panamericana. 2021
"Vinculo entre médico y paciente. 9 claves para conquistar la relación médico-paciente". Rosa Virginia Salom García. Independently published, 2020
“La entrevista clínica”. V. Gradillas y V. Gradillas. Ars Médica. 2006
“Entrevista clínica. Manual de estrategias prácticas”. F. Borrell. Semfyc. 2004
"La Comunicación. Una competencia esencial para los profesionales de la salud". X. Clèries. Editorial Elsevier Masson. Barcelona, 2006 (1ª edición)