Pakistani Medical Students’ Attitudes towards Communication Skills Learning: A Correlation of Demographic and Education-Related Characteristics

Abstract

This study intends to inspect medical students' attitudes regarding the learning of communication skills and to inspect the relationship of Pakistani undergraduate medical students' attitudes towards the learning of communication skills with demographic and education-related characteristics (gender, age, residence and parents' occupation). The population of the research was the 5 th professional, undergraduate medical students of Pakistani medical colleges. Samples were taken from four Pakistani public medical colleges. Data for this research has been collected through the use of already designed communication skills attitude scale by Rees et al. A pilot study was conducted for checking reliability and validity of CSAS and on the basis of findings of pilot study. Some modifications have also been done in CSAS of Rees et al. Data has been analyzed through SPSS version 20. Results of this research have shown that Pakistani medical students carry both positive and negative attitudes towards learning of communication skills.

Factors affecting the choice of a future medical specialty of the junior doctors in a third world country

“…Almost 76% of the participants recognized the role played by this period in helping the doctors to realize the ground realities, while 74.3% and 72.4% agreed that it helps in improving the clinical knowledge and developing communication skills of doctors respectively. No one can deny the importance of communication skills in the field of medicine and in countries with poor quality of school education, such a phase of practical exposure becomes all the more important for the growth of individuals including doctors [17][18][19]. In short, although the importance of mandatory internship before residency (known as foundation years in UK and house job in Pakistan) in the choice of future specialty and the growth of health professionals cannot be overstated, further work needs to be done in order to maximize the learning possibilities this phase has to offer, in order to help nurture a generation of safe, confident and skilled doctors [20][21][22].…”

Determine the Attitude of Dental Students for Learning Communication Skills at Undergraduate Level

“…'Positive attitude subscale" towards learning communication skills shows that 88.1% of the students think "Learning communication skills will facilitate my team working skills" whereas in "Negative attitude subscale" 95.1% of the students considered "Communication skills learning should not be taught to psychology students but to dental students as well". There are several studies that determine the attitude among medical students regarding communication skills' 11,12,13 but not among the dental students of Pakistan. This study highlights the importance and awareness among dental students of Pakistan regarding their interest in communication skills.…”

Correlation of Cultural Intelligence and Communication Skills of Pre and Post Covid Cohort Dental House Officers at Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan

“…Further, literature asserts that cultural beliefs, practices, and communication both impacts heavily on the health-seeking behaviors of the patients, their compliance to treatment, and its outcome . [7] Communication without cultural intelligence and sensitivity may not be fluent and probably lead to miscommunication and lack of trust. [8] The ethnocentric mindset (which is defined as an inclination to visualize and comprehend other cultures from the very perception of one's own culture) of all health care professionals may hinder the perception of a patient description of pain or symptoms.…”