Good communication skills form a fundamental principle of the patient- centred clinical consultation. The new Part 3 of the MRCOG, assesses candidates based on their ability to apply the core clinical skills in the context of real- life scenarios. It assesses five core skills domains, with three relating to communication skills; i) Communicating with patients and their families, ii) Communicating with colleagues and iii) Information gathering. Communication skills in the Part 3 clinical assessment can be assessed in many forms: … ● Exploring patient symptoms or concerns (information gathering) ● Explaining a diagnosis, investigation or treatment (information giving) ● Involving the patient in a decision (shared decision making) ● Health promoting activities ● Obtaining informed consent for a procedure ● Breaking bad news ● Communicating with relatives ● Communicating with other members of the health care team … In order to provide patient- centred care, doctors must treat their patients as partners, involving them in the decision making regarding their care and instilling in them a sense of responsibility for their own health. When the patient feels that they are part of the team it increases their satisfaction with care, increases treatment adherence and improves clinical outcomes. It is these skills that are assessed in clinical assessment tasks involving communication. Clinical assessment candidates are often assessed in two communication domains; Process and Content. In order to do well in the information gathering stations, you must be aware of the differential diagnoses that may arise with various presentations and how to explore each one independently and as a collection. When it comes to information giving or shared decision marking, candidates need to be familiar with the most recent Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology guidelines and know how to interpret their meaning to the patient and their families. The Calgary- Cambridge Model is one of the most recognized communication theories in medical education (Kurtz, 1996). This theory can be adapted to fit into most clinical scenarios. Using the Calgary- Cambridge Model, you should be able to obtain the majority of the points related to process.
Ambulatory chemotherapy: Past, present, and future
