Assessment Of Communication Skills Research Articles

Effects of a communication training for oncologists on early addressing palliative and end-of-life care in advanced cancer care (PALLI-COM): a randomized, controlled trial

In advanced cancer care, early communication about palliative care (PC) and end-of-life (EoL)-related issues is recommended, but is often impeded by physicians' communication insecurities. We investigated the effect of a newly developed compact communication skills training 'PALLI-COM' on oncologists' competencies to early address PC/EoL-related issues. We conducted a randomized, controlled trial (RCT) with an intervention group (IG; 2× 90 min training) and a wait list control group (CG) at five sites. At two assessment points, participating oncologists led videotaped medical consultations with simulated patients (SPs) via a privacy compliant video conference platform. SPs were represented by trained actors. The taped conversations were rated for primary outcome (communication skills assessed by adapted COM-ON-checklist and COM-ON-coaching rating scales) by raters blinded for study group. Secondary outcomes included oncologists' self-reported communication skills (Self-Efficacy in Palliative Care Scale, Thanatophobia-Scale, Communication about End of Life Survey, study-specific items) as well as external rating of the SPs. Univariate analyses of covariance with baseline adjustment were used to analyze intervention effects. A total of 141 oncologists [age: mean (standard deviation)= 32.7 (6.3) years, 60% female (nIG= 73, nCG= 68)] participated. Following intervention, the IG showed significantly more improvement in four out of five assessed communication skills: 'reacting to emotions and showing empathy', 'pointing out opportunities and giving hope', 'addressing the EoL' and 'explaining the concept of PC'. IG participants also improved more than CG participants in almost all secondary outcomes assessed by participants and SPs: oncologists' self-efficacy, attitudes towards caring for terminally ill patients, communication strategies and confidence in dealing with PC/EoL-related issues as well as communication quality from the SPs' perspective. Findings indicate that the compact communication skills training PALLI-COM increases oncologists' competencies in early addressing PC/EoL-related issues from different perspectives. Implementation in routine oncology residency might improve advanced cancer care by strengthening these communication skills.

The Effect of STEM Integrated PBL Model to Practice Students' Scientific Communication Skills

This study aims to determine the effect of the STEM integrated PBL model to practice students' scientific communication skills. The population of this study were students from the eighth grade of Junior High School of 1 Candi. The sample used is 30 students selected from the population using simple random sampling technique. This research method is Pre-Experimental Design. The design in this study is a one-shot case study. Data from the observation results of the assessment of students' scientific communication skills were analyzed using quantitative descriptive methods, by finding the mean and finding the percentage of indicators of scientific communication skills. The results showed that the application of the STEM-integrated PBL model in science learning material additives was able to improve students' scientific communication skills in a good category, with the average result of students' scientific communication being 2.7.

Patient-Centered Communication Training among Radiation Oncology Residents

<h3>Purpose/Objective(s)</h3> Radiation oncologists frequently speak with patients who are terminally ill and may be near the end of their life. In fact, up to 63% of patients who died of cancer receive palliative radiation in their last year of life. Despite this, education and specific training on palliative care including patient-centered communication skills for radiation oncology residents is lacking. The primary objective of this study was to assess radiation oncology resident-identified needs and preparedness in patient-centered serious illness communication to guide the objectives and development of a practice-based skills course. <h3>Materials/Methods</h3> A needs-based assessment was performed among radiation oncology residents at a single academic medical center. A cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interviews were performed. Data from these metrics were reviewed independently by the authors who then collectively indexed, charted, and analyzed the data. The course was then developed by a multidisciplinary team of specialists in radiation oncology, palliative medicine, and patient communication. The virtual course consisted of didactic teaching, two half-day interactive practice sessions with standardized patient encounters and feedback, and pre- and post-course assessments of measurable communication skills. <h3>Results</h3> 14/14 (100%) responses were available for evaluation. Using a five-point Likert scale, most residents felt only "somewhat prepared" (Likert 3/5) to discuss important topics such as prognosis (93%), reconciling the seriousness of one's illness (71%), and discontinuing life-sustaining treatments (64%). PGY-5 residents generally felt more prepared (Likert 4/5) compared to less experienced residents (Likert 3/5). The interview data supported and expanded on the quantitative data, highlighting both the varied and paucity of communication training prior to residency and the need for radiation oncology specific instruction. When asked how they might improve these skills some residents remarked, "practicing conversations," "observing others," and "learning best practices for these situations." The course development was curated by these results. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Consistent with a national survey of radiation oncology residency program directors, the institution-specific needs assessment study established a convincing need at the residency program level for a practice-based patient-centered communication skills training program for radiation oncology residents. This pre-survey data provided information that was used to guide its objectives, development, and assessment. We hope this future course can serve as an adaptable model that can be instituted among radiation oncology residency programs.

Communication skills in children aged 6–8 years, without cerebral palsy cooled for neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

We assessed communication skills of 48 children without cerebral palsy (CP) treated with therapeutic hypothermia (TH) for neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) (cases) compared to 42 controls at early school-age and examined their association with white matter diffusion properties in both groups and 18-month Bayley-III developmental assessments in cases. Parents completed a Children’s Communication Checklist (CCC-2) yielding a General Communication Composite (GCC), structural and pragmatic language scores and autistic-type behavior score. GCC ≤ 54 and thresholds of structural and pragmatic language score differences defined language impairment. Using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), fractional anisotropy (FA) was compared between 31 cases and 35 controls. Compared to controls, cases had lower GCC (p = 0.02), structural (p = 0.03) and pragmatic language score (p = 0.04) and higher language impairments (p = 0.03). GCC correlated with FA in the mid-body of the corpus callosum, the cingulum and the superior longitudinal fasciculus (p < 0.05) in cases. Bayley-III Language Composite correlated with GCC (r = 0.34, p = 0.017), structural (r = 0.34, p = 0.02) and pragmatic (r = 0.32, p = 0.03) language scores and autistic-type behaviors (r = 0.36, p = 0.01).

A Survey on Change in Communication Between Healthcare Professionals and Patients Before and During Coronavirus Disease-19 Pandemic

The World Health Organization declared the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January, which caused difficulties among the healthcare professionals (HCPs). Since this pandemic led to strict use of rules and regulations in maintaining physical distancing, a turn was experienced in communication. This study is aimed at assessing communication skills between HCPs and patients before, during and to compare communication skills between them before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Pravara Rural Hospital, Loni, Maharashtra. Samples were included based upon the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results were obtained with the help of statistical analysis. The present study shows that certain components of communication are changed when comparing before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. To curb the fear of HCP, certain measures can be implemented to reduce anxiety such as informative videos, images, brochures and many more.

Механизмы общения студентов-медиков с пациентами в телездравоохранении в условиях пандемии COVID-19

Telehealth in the context of the spread of COVID-19 requires doctors to use a new set of communicative skills in medical practice: good diction, the ability to conduct interviews with a patient, active listening skills, summing up, empathy, acting techniques. The aim of the study is to theoretically substantiate and experimentally test the effectiveness of telehealth communication strategies of medical students in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The leading methods of the study: Test “Assessment of communicative skills” by Karelin (2011); Yusupov’s Ability to Empathy Test (Ilyin, 2011); Online simulators “Development of Communication Competencies of a Doctor” (Kamalova &amp; Gaifullina, 2022). We have proven that a patient-centered approach is an effective communication strategy. We developed a special course “Communicative competence of future doctors” for medical students majoring in “Medical business”. Online simulators have been developed to assess the medical students’ use of a patient-centered approach to communication with patients, posted on the Online Test Pad platform. The results of the study can be used in the professional training of medical students majoring in “Medical care”.

Adaptation of Melodic Intonation Therapy to a Tone Language: A Pilot Study of Tone-Rhythmic Therapy in Mandarin Chinese

Introduction: Although melodic intonation therapy (MIT) has proven effective in individuals with non-fluent aphasia in a variety of western languages, its application to Mandarin-speaking aphasic patients has not been thoroughly studied. The adaptation is complicated because Mandarin Chinese is a tone language with specific prosodic elements that differ from Indo-European languages. This study developed a Chinese-specific variant of MIT, i.e., tone-rhythmic therapy (TRT), and tested its efficacy in individuals with non-fluent aphasia. Methods: Six non-fluent aphasic patients were recruited; all of them were admitted to the study over 6 months after stroke and had received a standard program of language therapy. In the current research, tone and rhythmic practice were incorporated into the training procedures, and the adaptation was then examined in patients. The TRT treatment lasted 6 weeks, with five 50-min sessions per week. The Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE) and the Functional Assessment of Communication Skills for Adults (FACS) tests were used to measure the change in the speech and language skills of patients. Results: The results showed that the patients had increased BDAE and FACS scores after intervention, and the treatment effect lasted for 6 months. Discussion: The modified MIT proved effective for Mandarin-speaking patients with non-fluent aphasia with lasting effects. Further studies evaluating its efficacy are needed for other types of aphasia and other tone languages.

Collaboration readiness: Developing standards for interprofessional formative assessment.

Graduate nursing education strives to promote collaborative practice on interprofessional teams. However, measuring collaboration during formative stages of professional development is rare. Few assessments are available to determine whether graduates of nursing education programs have met the required accreditation benchmarks. This project evaluates two performance standards for assessing collaboration during formative assessments. Formative assessment of communication and collaboration skills was explored for 62 entry-level Master's students in nursing, using a team-based objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) involving two patient simulations and assessment checklists, and comparing normative (relative standard) and criterion-referenced (absolute standard) methods. Mean percentages of behaviors using the normative approach indicated a range of performance levels for particular communication and collaboration behaviors. Criterion-referenced standards were higher than normative standards from actual student performance. This method improves assessment of collaboration through OSCEs using normative and criterion-referenced standards. We recommend using both methods jointly when setting standards or qualifying scores.

Multidisciplinary Climate Change Education: Determining Effectiveness Through Comparative Analysis

Climate Change Education (CCE) is one of the most widely-recognized mitigative solutions to the climate crisis, but research suggests that most global and national CCE policies and curricula are ineffective. A reason for this is that existing CCE curriculum consists of purely science-based pedagogy, despite the fact that multiple studies suggest that a multidisciplinary approach—involving humanities and the arts rather than just science—would be more effective. A case study was conducted at a select California high school, and compared the effectiveness of multidisciplinary CCE to the existing, science-focused CCE, in terms of Climate Literacy (CL) outcomes in students. CL encompasses climate change knowledge, credibility assessment skills, communication skills, and climate-related behavior, four factors that are important determinants when evaluating CCE effectiveness. Using survey research and structured interviews, the CL of students who took 3 or greater Advanced Placement (AP) courses was compared to that of students who took less than 3 such courses. Involvement in Advanced Placement (AP) classes, college-level classes offered to students by the College Board, was used as an indicator of being exposed to multidisciplinary CCE, and was compared to the effects of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) which are currently in use in California. The research found that CL within students was significantly greater in AP students in terms of climate change knowledge, credibility assessment, and communication; but climate-related behavior was low in both groups of students and did not seem to be affected by educational curriculum.

Communication skills training in advance care planning: a survey among medical students at the University of Antwerp

BackgroundPalliative care (PC) is a strongly emerging discipline worldwide. Despite efforts to integrate this important topic in the medical curriculum in Belgium, still little time is spent on PC and its implementation during theoretical and practical training.Materials & methodsWe had two cohorts of second master’s year MD students at the University of Antwerp complete a survey compromising a custom-built PC knowledge test and a self-confidence assessment of communicative skills used in end-of-life conversations. We evaluated students’ self-confidence regarding end-of-life-conversations before and after a PC training program. We also explored whether the PC classes enabled the students to adequately reflect on factors that might influence end-of-life conversations with an open-end question about the potential implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on advance care planning (ACP) conversations. Finally, we compared the results of the respondents having enjoyed face-to-face training (cohort 1) with those having received online training only (cohort 2, COVID-19 pandemic).ResultsAlthough the respondents in both cohorts indicated that the overall curriculum did not pay enough attention to PC training, their average scores on the theoretical questions were good. Feeling confident about their communicative skills in general, they indicated to be less confident when it came to communications concerning PC and ACP in particular. The COVID-19 pandemic was initially equally deemed to impede and facilitate ACP and end-of-life conversations, but after the ACP training class more respondents saw the pandemic as an opportunity to broach end-of-life issues. Finally, we found no differences in scores between online and regular classroom teaching.ConclusionStudents experience a lack of confidence in communication skills used in end-of-life conversations and ACP. To help improve skills and competencies in conducting end-of-life conversations, it is recommended to have medical students assess PC/ACP training programs regularly and to modify the curriculum and course content based on these outcomes and current developments.

ANALISIS MODEL PEMBELAJARAN ”KONSEP PASAR TRADISIONAL” DALAM KETERAMPILAN BERKOMUNIKASI PESERTA DIDIK

This study aims to analyze the communication skills of students by using the "Traditional Market Concept" learning model which then results are interpreted and processed based on the perspective and conception of the researcher. This research is descriptive quantitative research, in which the results of the assessment of communication skills will be processed into a descriptive form from the researcher's point of view. This research was conducted at the Equality School Package C PKBM Serumpun Tanah Laut with 19 research subjects. This research was conducted in 2 stages, namely before using the "traditional market concept" learning model and after using the "traditional market concept" learning model. The results of the research conducted indicate that this "Traditional Market Concept" learning model can develop the communication skills of students in the Equality Package C School of PKBM Serumpun Tanah Laut. However, this research is a small study and has not included the validation, practicality and effectiveness of the “traditional market concept” learning model. So it is recommended that further research be carried out in the future that can determine the validity, practicality and effectiveness of the "traditional market concept" learning model.

Assessment of communication skills using telehealth: considerations for educators.

ObjectiveThe main aim of this study was to explore the views and perceptions of dietetic educators on their ability to assess communication skills of undergraduate student dietitians in a telehealth setting. A secondary aim was to provide recommendations to educators when assessing these skills using telehealth.MethodsA descriptive qualitative study design was used. Australian and New-Zealand dietetic educators used a validated global communication rating scale to evaluate three pre-recorded telehealth encounters. Educators then answered a series of open-ended questions on their ability to assessed communication skills in the telehealth environment.AnalysisInductive analysis allowed the emergence of themes and sub-themes independent of a specific framework or theory. Peer debriefing and triangulation increased research rigor.ResultsTwenty-four educators were included in this study with the majority (87.5%) having > 10 years experience as a dietetic educator, and 41.6% (n = 10) with experience in assessing dietetics student using telehealth. Most (76%) educators reported the assessment of non-verbal communication skills were challenging in the telehealth environment. Five themes and 15 subthemes emerged relating to advice for students and educators when assessing communication skills and a checklist was developed from recommendations that students and educators can use when preparing, planning, implementing, and assessing telehealth consultations.ConclusionAssessing student communication skills via telehealth provides a useful opportunity with the growing use of the online environment, however, it also presents challenges that must be taken into consideration. While verbal communication skills are easier to assess than non-verbal, both need to be adapted for the telehealth setting.

Baseline Assessment of Communication Skills of Undergraduate Medical Students at a Medical College in Bhopal

Baseline Assessment of Communication Skills of Undergraduate Medical Students at a Medical College in Bhopal

Developmental Assessment of Visual Communication Skills in Primary Education.

In this paper, we describe subskills of visual communication based on the skill structure outlined in the Common European Framework of Visual Literacy. We have developed this Framework further through assessing the development of subskills related to visual communication in the “produce” and “respond” domains of CEFR-VC in primary school grades. We developed and validated online digital assessment tools to facilitate the introduction of authentic assessment as a standard practice in curriculum development. The results of this study include the definition of its components, development of innovative tools for their assessment, and description of the development of its subskills in the “produce” and “respond” domains. Our tests for the “respond” domain of the visual literacy framework were administered in the eDia interactive diagnostic testing environment in Grades 4–6 (ages 10–12 years) of the Hungarian primary school system. The tools for the second experiment about the “create” domain of visual communication were developed in the GeoGebra free educational software environment and tested major components of the “produce” domain of visual communication in primary Grades 5–8 (ages 11–14 years). Results show increasing attainment in subskills through the age groups in the “produce” domain and less significant or no development in the “respond” domain, which is underrepresented in Hungarian art education curricula. Development is unrelated to school achievement in non-art disciplines, showing the distinctiveness of the visual domain, and is weakly related to gender and digital literacy. Using our subskill descriptions and the assessment tools, teachers may select those subskills that they find most important to develop during the limited teaching time for visual arts. The paper ends with suggestions to enhance visual communication as a cross-curricular competency that develops visual-spatial intelligence.

Validation of "Self-Evaluation of Communication Experiences after Laryngectomy" (SECEL) Questionnaire for Spanish-Speaking Laryngectomized Patients.

Simple SummaryThere is no tool in Spanish that assesses communication-related quality of life in laryngectomized patients. Therefore, we have translated and adapted the SECEL scale from English to Spanish and applied it to a group of patients to test its reliability and validity. As a result, we have observed that the Spanish version of the SECEL questionnaire has the same conceptual, semantic and idiomatic meaning as the original. The resulting model is composed of 21 items that can be used in clinical practice in a reliable way. The test can be considered a suitable tool to assess the communication skills of Spanish-speaking laryngectomees.Background: Laryngectomized patients have communicative limitations when they lose their phonatory function after surgery. The scale “Self-Evaluation of Communication Experiences after Laryngectomy” (SECEL) assesses the impact of total laryngectomy on quality of life related to communication. The aim of this study was to translate and adapt the SECEL from English to Spanish and to apply this first version to a group of patients to check its reliability and validity. Materials and Methods: One-hundred-and-one laryngectomized patients completed the SECEL scale adjusted to Spanish, the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-30), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the EORTC QLQ-H&N35 questionnaire. Results: The Spanish version of the SECEL questionnaire has the same format and conceptual, semantic and idiomatic meaning as the original. The resulting model is composed of 21 items dimensioned in two highly correlated factors that are clear, meaningful, and replicable leading to measures that are reliable enough to be used in clinical evaluation. Conclusion: The Spanish translation and validation of the SECEL questionnaire were performed. It can be considered an appropriate tool to assess communication skills from laryngectomized people.

Organization of Student-Centered learning within the Professional Training of a future teacher in a Digital Environment.

In recent years, student-centered learning has undergone significant changes influenced by the introduction of the competency-based approach to the digital learning environment. The new approach places a teacher at the center of the educational process taking into account professional competencies and personal interests of educators to foster the improvements of methodological, organizational, and technological support of personalized learning. The sample (N = 36) consists of the 3rd year students of University (KazNPU). The research methodology uses the following metrics to test the psychological and emotional characteristics of students: Communication Skills Assessments and Analysis of Cultural and Value Orientations. The study revealed a background of discomfort with the current system of education - about half of the respondents experience psychological and emotional stress due to the current education format. In addition, after the implementation of the program it was found that the SCL configuration model, applied to distance learning, had a significant impact on students. Statistical analysis of the chi-square indices of general fit (χ2 = 122.77) shows a good fit to the set of data points. The results can be used by educators and in future research to analyze the feasibility and advantages of digital educational processes in other geographical regions.

Влияние особенностей коммуникативных качеств руководителей и сотрудников органов внутренних дел на профессиональную деятельность

Despite the wide range of studies devoted to the chosen topic, at present, police officers are faced with the problems of building dialogues both among themselves and with the special contingent. To solve them, it is necessary to study in detail the features of the communicative qualities of employees and their impact on professional activities.&#x0D; The subject of the study is the features of the communicative qualities of the leaders and employees of the internal affairs department. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of the communicative qualities of police officers and their impact on professional activities.&#x0D; The collection of empirical material was carried out using: 1) a test for assessing self-control in communication (M. Snyder); 2) a test for assessing communication skills (A.A. Karelina). The study involved 145 respondents.&#x0D; The participation of the heads and employees of the internal affairs department in communicative situations of a professional nature helps them to enrich the subjective experience of self-organization, self-control, self-reflection, self-presentation, self-regulation and self-expression in official activities. This strategy contributes to the development of social intelligence of police officers, activity and creativity, self-knowledge.&#x0D; When performing their professional tasks and functions, building communication links and relationships with their colleagues and citizens, police officers form their own image as a professional, as well as public opinion about the entire system of internal affairs bodies as a whole.

Социокультурная идентичность кыргызского народа в контексте толерантности

The requirement of the federal state educational standard (FSES 3++) for the formation of communicative competence of medical students actualizes the task of developing effective tools for its assessment at the present stage of development of medical education. The aim of the study is to study methodological approaches in foreign practice to assessing the communication skills of medical students for the subsequent development of consistent tools for assessing communicative competence in medical educational organizations of the Russian Federation. Material and methods. To search foreign literature in an electronic database in English (PubMed), the following keywords were identified: assessment tools, communication skills, medical school, medicine, communication models in medicine, medical students. Inclusion criteria: the age of authentic sources should not exceed the last 20 years and the presence in the database of access to full-text articles. In accordance with the specified criteria, 10 publications were selected and analyzed, which present the results of studies that reflect methodological approaches to the assessment of communication skills in the foreign practice of medical education. Results. Various models and methods are used to assess communication skills in the foreign medical community. They are differing significantly in content, psychometric properties and ease of use. According to the study, the Kalamazoo Communication and Communication Skills Assessment (KCS) model, the methodological basis of which is a patient-centered approach, has the highest scores for these indicators. According to experts, the KCS criteria are a reliable basis for guidance on the choice of tools for assessing the communicative competence of students at all levels of medical education. Conclusion. The development of reliable and valid assessment tools for assessing the communicative competence of future doctors in Russian medical education is possible, taking into account the best world practices, subject to the justification and agreement in the professional community of the list of the main elements of the doctor’s communication, criteria for their assessment, measurement scales, their design and focus, as well as compliance with the requirements of practicality and ease of use.

Predictors of functional communication in people with aphasia after stroke.

Aphasia, the most common language disorder secondary to stroke, has been associated with increased mortality, longer hospitalization and rehabilitation times, worse performance in daily activities, increased financial burden, and short- and long-term complications. Aphasia can negatively impact functional communication skills, including social networks, social activities, relationships with other people and social support. To evaluate patients with poststroke aphasia in their respective residences to investigate potential predictors of functional communication. The prospective cohort included patients with poststroke aphasia aged 18 years or older who resided in the city of Salvador, Northeastern Brazil. Following discharge from the Stroke Unit (SU), the individuals themselves, or their guardians, were contacted by telephone to schedule a home visit no less than three months after discharge. At baseline, sociodemographic and clinical data were collected, in addition to the scores on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and modified Barthel Index (mBI). The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Functional Assessment of Communication Skills for Adults (ASHA FACS) was applied at the patients' homes. Multivariate linear regression was employed using the total score on the ASHA FACS as the outcome of interest. A multivariate analysis of the associated factors identified using the linear regression revealed that only functional capacity (as assessed by the mBI) upon discharge from the SU remained as an independent predictor of functional communication performance (β = 0.042; 95% confidence interval [95%CI] = 0.013-0.071; p = 0.002). The functional capacity to perform daily activities, evaluated upon discharge from a stroke unit, was identified as a potential predictor of functional communication performance, regardless of the time elapsed after the stroke.

Impact Of Communication Skills Training in Postgraduate Medical Education

Background: Effective communication is a key feature of optimal doctor-patient relationship. As the postgraduate curriculum lacks standardized teaching and assessment, this study aimed to assess effectiveness of training program on communication skills of postgraduate medical students. Materials and methods: A prospective interventional study was conducted among first year postgraduate medical students from different clinical specialty. Training program included introduction to principles of communication with basics of doctor-patient relationship, administering informed consent, breaking bad news and counselling patients with HIV/cancer. Pre-test and post-test skill assessment by Faculty and postgraduate (PG) self-rating was carried out using KEECC-A Assessment tool for seven core communication competencies. Perception of students on training program was collected via feedback questionnaire. Results: Forty-three postgraduate medical students participated. Statistically significant increase in communication skills scores post training was observed with mean post-test assessment scores of 24.26±2.94, p&lt;0.001(faculty rating), 25.19±3.76, p&lt;0.001(PG self-rating) and high degree of internal consistency was found. Students perceived the training program as valuable and highlighted its importance as a part of curriculum. Conclusion: Training program significantly enhanced communication skills of postgraduate medical students. Integration of standardized teaching and assessment of communication skills is essential for better healthcare practice and optimal doctor-patient relationship.