Contemporary views of teaching and learning healthcare communication in clinical practice

Abstract

Along with skilled psychomotor or procedural skills, skilled communication is an essential component of effective healthcare delivery. Developing effective healthcare communication does not occur by chance and focused education can have positive impacts on health professionals’ communication behaviour and also patient outcomes. As such there are a range of reported initiatives for teaching and learning skilled healthcare communication in both classroom and workplace settings. There is a long history of teaching communication in medicine and nursing, however in recent times, the importance of patient and team communication has been recognised and emphasised in the training of all health disciplines. Through drawing on research and examples from across the health professions, we can explore contemporary views of teaching and learning healthcare communication with a specific focus on teaching this element of practice in the clinical setting. Connections and implications for the ultrasound teaching and learning context will be emphasised and discussed.