A Six-Step Approach to Develop a Curriculum in ‘Communication and Interpersonal Skills’ – For Indian Undergraduate Medical Students

Abstract

This paper describes a scholarly and systematic way for introduction of a curriculumin ‘Communication and Interpersonal Skills’ (CIS) for the Indian undergraduate medical students based on the conceptual framework given by Kern using the six-step approach, i.e. problem identification; targeted needs assessment; goals and objectives; educational strategies; implementation and evaluation; and feedback. Developing strong communication skills is integral to becoming an effective healthcare provider. In the recent years, good doctor–patient communication has been linked to improved patient satisfaction, better patient care and a decrease in malpractice lawsuits. Competence in CIS within the healthcare teams is learned through a hidden curriculum of on-the-job training or not at all. In this paper, we describe a curriculum having eight modules, and every 6 months, one module can be completed over a period of 2 days, starting in the 1st year MBBS and continued longitudinally till the final year. The learning objectives of each module, educational strategies that can be employed, the assessment methods, the implementation and the evaluation of the curriculum are described in this concept paper. Integrating CIS training into the current existing undergraduate medical curriculum has far reaching consequences that can be beneficial not only to the trainee student, but also to the patients, hospitals, institutions and community at large.