Douglas Amanda Helen, Acharya Samita Pant, Allery Lynne A
Department of GP, Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS), P.O.Box 26500, Lalitpur, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Centre for Medical Education, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4YS, UK.
BMC Med Educ. 2020 Oct 29;20(1):391. doi: 10.1186/s12909-020-02330-y.
Communication skills (CS) are vital for doctors. Indeed, as the most important element of consultations, are highly valued by patients. CS are core, teachable skills, however, have not been widely taught in South Asian medical schools, unlike their western counterparts. Patan Academy of Health Sciences, is one of the first in Nepal to have CS central to its' aims and curriculum. CS are taught from the first weeks of medical school and re-enforced during preclinical study (first 2 years). Our study seeks to explore students' perceptions and experiences of CS teaching in this South Asian, Nepal context.
This study is a qualitative evaluation of a CS course in Nepal, exploring the experiences and perceptions of participants. The study aims to also identify aspects that were helpful or not for student learning and areas for potential development. A purposive sample of twenty: second, fourth and Intern year students was selected for interview. Data were collected through audio recorded semi-structured interviews following a piloted schedule. Interview transcripts were manually coded and thematically analysed. Codes were arranged into themes and subthemes.
The two main themes: 1. Positivity 2. Experiential learning. Results demonstrate participants' positive perceptions of CS teaching: believing it is important, effective, relevant and valuable for personal development. Participants identified experiential learning features as valuable for CS acquisition. Intern students recognised CS relevance and requested expanding teaching to clinical years,incorporating challenging communication scenarios.
This study shows that PAHS' CS course is well perceived and valuable to learners. Experiential learning is powerful for CS development. Expansion of formal, structured CS teaching through all years in a spiral curriculum, should be considered. Violence towards doctors in South Asia is increasing. Students recognised CS teaching's significance in addressing this.
CS teaching,still in its' infancy in South Asia, is a pressing issue for medical educators here. Our study provides evidence it is well perceived with positive impacts in this context, particularly when employing experiential learning. Medical schools in south Asia should be encouraged to incorporate and strengthen their CS teaching curriculum. .
沟通技巧对医生至关重要。实际上，作为会诊中最重要的要素，沟通技巧深受患者重视。沟通技巧是核心的、可教授的技能，然而，与西方同行不同，南亚医学院校并未广泛教授这些技能。帕坦健康科学学院是尼泊尔最早将沟通技巧作为其目标和课程核心的学院之一。沟通技巧从医学院校的第一周就开始教授，并在临床前学习阶段（前两年）得到强化。我们的研究旨在探索在尼泊尔这个南亚背景下，学生对沟通技巧教学的看法和体验。
本研究是对尼泊尔一门沟通技巧课程的定性评估，旨在探索参与者的体验和看法。该研究还旨在确定对学生学习有帮助或无帮助的方面以及潜在的发展领域。选取了二十名有目的的样本：二年级、四年级和实习年级的学生进行访谈。按照试点时间表，通过录音的半结构化访谈收集数据。访谈记录进行人工编码并进行主题分析。代码被整理成主题和子主题。
两个主要主题：1. 积极性 2. 体验式学习。结果表明参与者对沟通技巧教学持积极看法：认为它对个人发展很重要、有效、相关且有价值。参与者认为体验式学习特点对获得沟通技巧很有价值。实习学生认识到沟通技巧的相关性，并要求将教学扩展到临床年级，纳入具有挑战性的沟通场景。
本研究表明帕坦健康科学学院的沟通技巧课程受到好评，对学习者很有价值。体验式学习对沟通技巧的发展很有作用。应考虑通过螺旋式课程在各年级扩展正式的、结构化的沟通技巧教学。南亚针对医生的暴力行为在增加。学生认识到沟通技巧教学在解决这一问题上的重要性。
沟通技巧教学在南亚仍处于起步阶段，对这里的医学教育工作者来说是一个紧迫问题。我们的研究提供了证据，表明在这种背景下它受到好评并产生积极影响，特别是在采用体验式学习时。应鼓励南亚的医学院校纳入并加强其沟通技巧教学课程。
